Stanley ruling extends to government medical reimbursements
The Indiana Supreme Court on Friday extended the admission of evidence of reduced health care payments in personal injury suits to include reimbursements from government payers.
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COA prevents INDOT from seeking more than $100k in damages after bridge accident
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the denial of summary judgment for the Indiana Department of Transportation after the department had argued that it should be allowed to seek the more than $100,000 it spent to repair a state bridge damaged in an accident, an amount that was double the estimated cost.
Stepfather’s molestation convictions affirmed
A former stepfather accused of molesting his 6-year-old stepdaughter on multiple occasions cannot have his convictions or sentenced reduced after the Indiana Court of Appeals found Friday that there was enough evidence to support his 32-year sentence.
COA upholds judgment against ex-husband accused of violating protective order
The Indiana Court of Appeals found Friday that an Allen County man must serve out his prison sentence after he knowingly violated the protective order his ex-wife had taken out against him and that he intentionally locked her out of a house that legally belonged to her.
Appeals panel affirms murder conviction, sentence
An Indianapolis man who objected to his murder trial being scheduled later than permissible under the speedy trial rule failed to persuade the Indiana Court of Appeals to reverse his murder conviction.
Divided COA tosses $2M DUI crash verdict over old convictions
The majority of an Indiana Court of Appeals panel held Thursday that a drunken driver’s decades-old convictions for alcohol-related offenses were irrelevant and prejudicial in a civil suit following a personal-injury crash. A dissenting judge, though, wrote the admissibility of such evidence should go to its weight rather than its age.
7th Circuit allows Michigan man to sue Indiana body shop for fire that destroyed his vehicle
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned summary judgment in favor of a northern Indiana body shop Wednesday after finding that a Michigan man has legal ground to sue the body shop for a fire that destroyed his car.
Justices say inmates can’t sue private employer for unpaid wages during incarceration
The Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer and affirmed Wednesday a trial court’s decision to dismiss a complaint seeking unpaid wages brought by inmates who claim they were underpaid while working for a private company while they were in prison.
COA: Hotel did not conspire to commit theft from guests’ room
The Indiana Court of Appeals decided Wednesday that an Evansville hotel cannot be considered negligent after its employees allowed a man into a guest room without the guests’ permission, resulting in the theft of the guests’ personal property.
COA maintains that belatedly filed records result in dismissal
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed an Allen Superior Court decision after finding that the trial court erred when it did not dismiss a case despite the fact that the record was not filed in a timely manner.
Federal court: No back pay for ex-central Indiana marshal
An Indiana federal court has ruled against a former central Indiana marshal who is seeking back pay from the town of Summitville.
7th Circuit rejects former Bloomington employee’s request to defer restitution
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected a former Bloomington city employee’s argument that his restitution debt should be deferred to his release from prison because he is limited to paying only 10 percent of his income toward that debt each month.
COA orders better findings of fact in parental rights case
The Indiana Court of Appeals rejected Thursday a trial court order terminating a St. Joseph County woman’s parental rights to her daughter and instead ordered the trial court to present more specific findings of fact to support the termination.
Tax Court upholds constitutionality of personal property valuation for steel mills
Despite multiple allegations of state and federal constitutional violations, the Indiana Tax Court decided Wednesday that a state tax statute requiring steel mills to operate blast furnaces in Indiana to receive a certain classification on their personal property taxes will stand.
Tax Court orders reassessment of Westfield apartment property
The Indiana Tax Court decided Wednesday that the Hamilton County assessor misconstrued a portion of the Residential Property Statute in 2012, forcing the assessor to reclassify a Westfield apartment complex and its surrounding property.
Justices opt to resentence convicted murderer facing life without parole
The Indiana Supreme Court chose to exercise its “appellate prerogative” and resentence a convicted murderer to a total term of 88 years in prison after the man appealed his sentence on the basis of a Sixth Amendment violation.
COA upholds denial of motion to strike expert medical testimony in malpractice suit
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed Tuesday a trial court’s decision to deny a motion to strike expert witness testimony after finding that a man could present certain evidence to prove medical malpractice against his now-deceased wife’s former physician.
Exodus: Syrian refugees ‘not who Pence and others claim’
Fresh off a defeat of Gov. Mike Pence’s effort to bar Syrian war victims from settling in Indiana, the leader of a refugee resettlement program said the agency’s work assisting them will continue.
7th Circuit: Schizophrenia meets ‘severe impairment’ requirement for disability insurance
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that an undisputed diagnosis of schizophrenia should be considered a “severe impairment,” an opinion that will allow an Indiana man to have another chance to receive disability insurance benefits after he was forced to quit his job because of his mental illness.
7th Circuit affirms order against Pence in Syrian refugee case
Calling Gov. Mike Pence’s objection to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana because they may pose a terrorism threat “nightmare speculation,” the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Monday rejected the governor’s appeal of rulings blocking his bid to withhold federal funding to an agency assisting war victims.