Indiana Court Decisions — June 21-July 3, 2018
Read Indiana appellate court decisions from the most recent reporting period.
Court opinions
Articles
COA: Enhanced sentence not fundamental error
A man who sought a second resentencing after his 2003 murder convictions unsuccessfully argued that he was denied fundamental due process rights 15 years after being sentenced for four counts of murder.
COA: Husband must pay child support with interest
A husband who paid less than $200 of the child support he owed will now have to cover more than the arrearage amount after the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled the wife is also entitled to interest.
COA cautions against claiming controversy amount limits
The Indiana Court of Appeals cautioned against plaintiffs proclaiming amounts in controversy will not exceed $75,000 unless they can be held to their word when it ruled in a semitruck crash case Tuesday.
Justices toss 2 resisting convictions from triple-fatality
A wrong-way driver who caused the deaths of three adults and one unborn child while fleeing police had two of his three convictions for resisting law enforcement overturned after the Indiana Supreme Court determined state law allows only one conviction for each act of resisting.
Justices: One resisting conviction for fatal crash with injuries
The Indiana Supreme Court ruled that Indiana Code permits only one conviction of resisting law enforcement from a single incident, regardless of how many people are harmed in an accident.
COA: No error in admitting cell phone records, testimony
A man convicted of dealing narcotics and methamphetamine argued that evidence admitted from his cell phone and the opinion of a drug force detective were inadmissible, but the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected those claims Thursday.
COA: Lease damages not chargeable to tenant
A property management company sued by one of its tenants argued in court that it charged less than all the costs it incurred, but the Court of Appeals ordered the landlord to pay up, as a small claims court ruled.
Justices vacate juvenile gun adjudication as double jeopardy
Indiana Supreme Court justices affirmed in part a Marion Superior Court decision on Monday that found a 16-year-old delinquent. Justices affirmed the teen’s dangerous possession of a firearm adjudication but vacated his adjudication for carrying a handgun without a license, as both the state and defense agreed it constituted double jeopardy.
Supreme Court deals big setback to labor unions
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that government workers can’t be forced to contribute to labor unions that represent them in collective bargaining, dealing a serious financial blow to organized labor.
COA: Ex’s contempt order was valid but violated federal law
A trial court’s contempt order against a man who named his current wife beneficiary of his military survivor benefits was valid, even though the court’s order that the ex-husband redesignate his ex-wife violated federal law, the Indiana Court of Appeals found Tuesday.
Court upholds Trump travel ban, rejects discrimination claim
A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld President Donald Trump’s ban on travel from several mostly Muslim countries, rejecting a challenge that it discriminated against Muslims or exceeded his authority. A dissenting justice said the outcome was a historic mistake.
Killer’s murder, arson convictions affirmed on appeal
A Vigo County man convicted of killing a woman and then setting fires in an attempt to cover up the evidence lost his bid to have some of his convictions overturned Tuesday.
Appeals panel affirms denial of drug suppression after vehicle search
A man arrested after police ordered him to exit his parked car when officers smelled burned marijuana could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that the evidence of drug possession should be suppressed at his criminal trial.
U.S. Supreme Court voids part of crisis pregnancy center law
The U.S. Supreme Court says a California law that forces anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers to provide information about abortion probably violates the Constitution.The 5-4 ruling Tuesday also casts doubts on similar laws in Hawaii and Illinois.
Indiana Court decisions – June 7-20, 2018
Read Indiana appellate decisions from the most recent reporting period.
Supreme Court rules for American Express in credit card case
The Supreme Court is leaving in place a ruling for American Express in a lawsuit over rules it imposes on merchants who accept its cards.
Justices: Motel room used for sting operation was not ‘place of detention’
The Indiana Supreme Court has upheld the admission of incriminating statements made in a motel room during an undercover drug investigation after finding the motel room was not a “place of detention” requiring an electronic record of the statements. The court also created a test for analyzing whether a location can be considered a “place of detention” under Indiana Evidence Rule 617.
7th Circuit affirms drug dealer’s life sentence
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the United States on Wednesday, affirming a man’s conviction and life sentence for buying and selling large amounts of narcotics.
7th Circuit upholds denial of fraud on the court, attorney sanctions
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the denial of an Indiana’s man motion alleging fraud on the court and affirmed sanctions against his attorney, finding the district court did not err when making either ruling.