7th Circuit affirms dismissal of railroad worker’s injury suit
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of a train operator’s state common law claims for relief against a railroad company for injuries caused by locomotive equipment.
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Disbarred attorney loses mail fraud conviction appeal
A disbarred Indiana attorney who was convicted of mail fraud and sentenced to two years in federal prison after stealing more than $330,000 from a grocery store receivership has lost his appeal of both his conviction and sentence.
Dry cleaning machine maker not liable in environmental claim
The maker of 1960s-era coin-operated dry cleaning machines cannot be held liable for decades-old environmental contamination found at the site of a one-time southside Indianapolis laundromat, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.
COA reverses, rules for PI attorney in subrogation dispute
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a trial court judgment, ordering summary judgment for a Lawrenceburg attorney facing a breach lawsuit related to his representation of a personal injury client. The appellate court ruled the insurer suing him did not timely file its subrogation claim.
Judges: N.C. congressional districts still partisan biased
Federal judges on Monday affirmed their earlier decision striking North Carolina’s congressional districts as unconstitutional because Republicans drew them with excessive partisanship. The Tarheel State is one of several in which lawsuits are challenging partisan gerrymandering.
Indiana consumer bankruptcies fall faster than U.S. average
Personal bankruptcy filings due to consumer debt tumbled in Indiana last year at a much faster pace than an overall national decline, according to federal bankruptcy court data released Monday. Hoosiers filed a combined 7.4 percent fewer petitions for Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2017.
Ex-West Virginia Supreme Court justice pleads guilty
A retired West Virginia Supreme Court justice is now a convicted felon. Menis Ketchum pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to a felony count of fraud related to his personal use of a state vehicle and gas fuel card in a scandal that has led to upcoming impeachment trials for the remaining justices.
Indiana father charged with neglect in sons’ drownings
The father of two Indiana boys who drowned in a river has been charged with felony neglect in their deaths after allegedly telling police he had used heroin before taking his sons to the waterway. Eric J. Patillo, 34, was indicted Thursday on two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
Justices clarify definition of sexual misconduct with a child
The Indiana Supreme Court found the “slightest penetration of the sex organ” was sufficient to affirm the conviction of a man of four counts of child molestation and eight counts of sexual misconduct with a minor. Justices offered guidance on what constitutes “other sexual misconduct” in affirming a man’s Level 1 felony child molestation conviction.
IndyCar awarded $3.9M for scrubbed Boston races
A race organizer’s failure to bring promised IndyCar Boston Grand Prix Labor Day weekend races to the finish line has resulted in an award of nearly $4 million in damages to the Indianapolis-based open-wheel racing series, but it’s unclear how much IndyCar may be able to recoup from bankrupt promoters.
Former office manager gets nearly 5 years in prison for fraud
A bookkeeper who pleaded guilty to defrauding a small Franklin construction company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison.
Hill reinforces opposition to individual mandate as state collects $95 million from Obamacare lawsuit
As Indiana prepares to collect nearly $100 million from a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill held a meeting Wednesday with ACA proponents who are urging him to drop a second lawsuit challenging a controversial portion of the health care law. Though both parties said they were pleased with the dialogue, Hill also reinforced his opposition to the Obamacare individual mandate.
Former Elkhart resident accused of supporting ISIS
A former Elkhart resident has been charged in federal court with providing and conspiring to provide material support to foreign terror organization the Islamic State or Iraq and al-Sham.
COA reverses regular commitment for lack of evidence
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed and remanded a trial court’s decision to order a mentally ill woman to regular commitment at Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital, finding there was not clear and convincing evidence to prove commitment was necessary.
Father of 2 boys who died in Indiana river may face charges
The father of two Indiana boys who died after being pulled from a river was acting strangely before his sons were found in the waterway and could face criminal charges in their deaths, a sheriff said Wednesday.
Attorney who neglected med mal case suspended for year
An Indianapolis attorney currently under an indefinite suspension for failing to cooperate with a disciplinary investigation has now been suspended for one year after neglecting an elderly client’s medical malpractice case, leading to its dismissal.
Artist donates truth-inspired sculpture to COA
A new reminder of truth hangs permanently in the Indiana Court of Appeals office, after Broad Ripple artist Biagio Azzarelli donated his contemporary sculpture entitled “The Truth” to the appellate court on Wednesday.
Orleans man guilty in Bedford drive-thru shooting
A jury in Lawrence County has convicted a southern Indiana man of fatally shooting another man in a McDonald’s drive-thru lane last year.
Indictments? Impeachment? A look at Trump’s legal woes
A bad day in court for his former associates could foreshadow hard days ahead for President Donald Trump. But it’s unlikely he’ll find himself in a courtroom facing criminal charges, at least while he’s president.
COA: Sex offender registration is mandatory collateral consequence
Despite arguing his guilty plea did not include a sex offense, a Steuben County man will have to remain on the state’s sex offender registry after the Indiana Court of Appeals found registering was a collateral consequence for his conviction.