Disciplinary actions
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Articles
US Supreme Court pushes deadline on Lake Michigan beach case
The U.S. Supreme Court won’t decide until next year whether to consider arguments from residents of Chief Justice John Roberts’ Indiana hometown of Long Beach over ownership of the Lake Michigan community’s shoreline. The case could have a ripple effect for public and private property rights across the Great Lakes states.
Prosecutor: 27 carpenters ordered to repay $531K to union
Federal prosecutors say 27 carpenters have been ordered to repay more than $500,000 to their union after pleading guilty to health care theft.
Judge halts enforcement of Trump asylum restrictions
A federal judge in Houston has barred the Trump administration from refusing asylum to immigrants who cross the southern border illegally.
Judge: White House must return CNN’s Acosta’s credential
A federal judge Friday ordered the Trump administration to immediately return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta, saying Acosta suffered “irreparable harm” from the decision to bar him.
Scrap dealer’s request to dismiss Hammond bridge theft charge denied
A federal judge has denied a northwestern Indiana scrap metal dealer’s request to dismiss charges for allegedly demolishing a historic Hammond railroad bridge and selling the metal for $18,000. Kenneth Morrison argued the grand jury didn’t get an accurate picture of whether the city of Hammond or the railroad company owned the Monon Bridge, but Judge Philip Simon said prosecutors only have to prove Morrison had no claim to the scrap metal.
Federal judge disqualifies lawyer who sued ex-client
A federal judge last week disqualified an attorney from representing a plaintiff in a lawsuit alleging abusive debt collection practices in a case filed against a client of the attorney’s former law firm.
Southern District ruling makes declawing big cats illegal
A first-of-its-kind federal order has officially held that the process of declawing large exotic cats is illegal and in a violation of the Endangered Species Act and has prohibited a Charlestown veterinarian from providing any care to such exotic cats.
Guilty verdicts set precedent in fighting shady basketball recruiting
A federal jury found three men guilty of fraud charges for channeling secret payments to the families of top-tier basketball recruits to influence their choices of schools, apparel companies and agents.
Judge rules for Butler in suit by ex-student accused of sex assault
A civil lawsuit against Butler University brought by a student who claims he was wrongly expelled after being falsely accused of sexual assault has ended with a judgment in favor of the university and other school personnel involved in the investigation.
Disciplinary Actions
Read who has been found in contempt, reinstated, reprimanded and suspended in the most recent reporting period.
Lawyer who saw golf course slip, fall can’t represent victim
A Chicago attorney was removed from a northern Indiana federal personal injury case last week because he had witnessed an alleged golf course accident that was the basis of his client’s lawsuit.
Attorney-photographer loses suit against IPAC director
A McCordsville attorney and hobbyist photographer who has sued dozens of people for the alleged infringement of his photo of the Indianapolis skyline has lost key rulings in the most recent order in his various cases.
Justices expand online CLE, CME credit hours
Lawyers and judges can now take twice as many hours of continued legal education through online programming per three-year period after the Indiana Supreme Court amended an existing rule to education requirements. Similarly, mediators will not be denied credit for digital programs under an amendment to continuing mediation education requirements.
Board of Law Examiners appoints 2 new members
Two new members have been appointed to the Indiana State Board of Law Examiners as announced in an order signed Friday by Chief Justice Loretta Rush.
Indiana justices accept another NIPSCO case
The Indiana Supreme Court has accepted transfer of another dispute over utility rates where the Northern Indiana Public Service Co. is a defendant.
Troopers must face suit from black motorists stopped 2 hours
A lawsuit against Indiana State Police troopers accused of unreasonably questioning two black motorists for more than two hours on the side of an interstate will continue after a federal judge rejected the troopers’ qualified immunity claims.
Holcomb’s office ordered to hand over Pence Carrier emails
Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration has 30 days to turnover emails that passed between former Gov. Mike Pence, the Trump Organization and Carrier Corp. related to the negotiations that led then newly elected President Donald Trump to take credit for saving the Indianapolis plant from closing.
Justices amend appellate, small claims rules
The Indiana Supreme Court has issued several orders amending rules of the court. Among them is a change that requires any appellate party to seek court permission to amend a filed appendix, and allows trusts and trustees to represent claims of less than $1,500 without counsel in small claims cases.
Company ordered to pay $31.9M to SEC for biofuel fraud
Evansville-based Imperial Petroleum Inc. has been ordered to pay nearly $32 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission after it failed to reply to the SEC’s court filings seeking damages in a biofuels fraud case that resulted in prison time for the former company president.