7th Circuit Court of Appeals Published May 18, posted to theindianalawyer.com on May 19 Danielle Albert v. Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of Social Security 21-2592 7th Circuit affirms denial of disability benefits, urges petitioner to ‘give work a shot’ A northern Indiana woman who applied for Social Security disability benefits shortly after graduating from high […]
Court of Appeals of Indiana
Joseph L. Wilson v. State of Indiana
21A-CR-2308
Criminal. Affirms the denial of Joseph L. Wilson’s motion to modify his sentence. Finds Wilson has not demonstrated that the Jay Circuit has authority to modify his sentence while he is on parole.
An Indiana man’s request to modify his sentence to probation instead of parole has been denied by the Court of Appeals of Indiana, as it concluded the trial court didn’t have authority to make the change.
A dental hygienist who claimed she did not get a pay raise as a result of racial discrimination lost her appeal of the judgment in favor of her employer at the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Court of Appeals of Indiana
Timothy DeWayne Forshee v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
21A-CR-2228
Criminal. Affirms Timothy DeWayne Forshee’s sentence to an aggregate of five years executed for his convictions of three counts of Level 5 felony sexual misconduct with a minor. Finds the Madison Circuit Court did not abuse its discretion in sentencing Forshee. Also finds Forshee’s sentence is not inappropriate.
Two women who won attorney fees against their grandmother’s estate were hit with a reversal Tuesday from the Court of Appeals of Indiana.
Duke Energy will not get a second chance to convince the Indiana Supreme Court that it erred in ruling the utility cannot recoup its past costs for coal-ash cleanup efforts.
With mass shootings in Texas, New York and California fresh in Americans’ mind, the U.S. Supreme Court will soon issue its biggest gun ruling in more than a decade, one expected to make it easier to carry guns in public in some of the nation’s largest cities.
Continuing a yearslong legal battle over property rights along Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by property owners who claimed an Indiana Supreme Court decision upholding public rights to the shoreline constituted an unlawful taking of their property.
An Indiana man who claims he is the “legal,” but not biological, father of a child has successfully challenged a lower court ruling that his consent to the child’s adoption was not required. The adoption case will now return to the trial court, where a judge must determine if the man actually is the child’s “legal” father.
A split Court of Appeals of Indiana has affirmed a child custody switch from mother to father, finding that although the mother had to proceed pro so at the custody hearing, she was not prejudiced by the denial of her motions to continue after her counsel quit.
The Biden administration has sided against the airline industry and urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to uphold a California law that would provide more rest and meal breaks than airline crews are guaranteed under federal rules.
A man facing 41 felony charges will not have his bail reduced after the Court of Appeals of Indiana determined the consequences of his case could prove “severe.”
Since the leak earlier this month of a draft opinion indicating Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey will be overturned, U.S. Senate Democrats have failed to codify the right to an abortion. Meanwhile, Republican-led states including Indiana have indicated they are prepared to tighten restrictions once the opinion is published this summer.
“Disappointed,” “stunned” and “saddened” were just a few of the words former and current Indiana appellate justices and judges used to describe how they felt about the recent leak in the nation’s highest court.
Read Indiana appellate court decisions from the most recent reporting period.
The following 7th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion was posted after IL deadline on Monday:
Lamone Lauderdale-El v. Indiana Parole Board
21-1242
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Terre Haute Division. Judge James Patrick Hanlon.
Civil. Affirms the dismissal without prejudice of Lamone Lauderdale-El’s habeas corpus petition for failure to exhaust state remedies. Finds the dismissal was a final, appealable judgment. Overrules the contrary jurisdictional holdings of Gacho v. Butler, 792 F.3d 732 (7th Cir. 2015), and Moore v. Mote, 368 F.3d 754 (7th Cir. 2004). Also finds the appeal is not moot. Finally, finds Lauderdale-El could have pursued his good-time credit restoration claim in state court.
Court of Appeals of Indiana
The City of Bloomington, Indiana, et al. v. Andrew Guenther, et al.
21A-MI-2600
Miscellaneous. Reverses the Monroe Circuit Court’s determination that Andrew Guenther was entitled to the vacant citizen member seat on the City of Bloomington’s Plan Commission and its order for Christopher Cockerham to vacate the seat. Finds the trial court’s decision was clearly erroneous. Also finds Cockerham was validly appointed to the commission and may continue his service.
A Bluffton barbecue joint seeking to set aside a health department order requiring the restaurant’s employees to comply with a face-covering requirement during the height of COVID did not convince the Court of Appeals of Indiana that its case wasn’t moot.
Noting several times its limited role in reviewing the denial of a request to reduce bail, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has affirmed a trial court’s ruling that set bail at $150,000 for an Elkhart County teenager charged in a deadly auto accident.