Senate panel advances bill to narrowly define out-of-state felonies
A bill that would more narrowly define how out-of-state felonies are treated in Indiana sentencing matters passed its first hurdle in the Indiana Senate.
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7th Circuit upholds $87,000 verdict against insurer after house fire
An insurance company must pay $87,000 in damages to an Indiana homeowner whose house burned to the ground after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined there was sufficient evidence to support the jury’s damages award.
Sex offender statute to come before Supreme Court
A sex offender convicted in 2010 must make his case to the Indiana Supreme Court as to why a 2015 law should not bar him from attending his son’s school events after the high court granted the state’s petition to transfer the case last week.
Trump makes two nominations to 7th Circuit bench
President Donald Trump has nominated two Illinois legal professionals with experience in government litigation for judgeships on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Holcomb appoints 2 women to judgeships
In his first judicial appointments of 2018, Gov. Eric Holcomb has tapped two attorneys with prosecutorial experience to serve as superior court judges in Elkhart and Tippecanoe counties.
7th Circuit affirms dismissal of Mexican complaints against Indiana company
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a Mexican company’s fraud claims against an Indiana-based Fortune 500 company, finding the Mexican entity failed to allege the company, rather than its Mexican subsidiary, committed any wrongs.
COA: Burglary victim met definition of ‘unavailable’ at trial
Multiple felony burglary convictions have been upheld against a Tippecanoe County man after the Indiana Court of Appeals found the trial court did not err in admitting a victim’s video deposition as evidence during trial.
COA upholds denial of motion to set aside paternity
A legal father seeking to set aside paternity of his two non-biological children has lost his appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals, which found the father failed to meet the legal requirements for paternity rescission.
A look at the fallout from the Nassar scandal
Numerous people have been fired or forced out of jobs in the wake of the widening scandal involving once-renowned gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who has been ordered to serve decades in prison for molesting some of the sport’s top athletes and others as well as child pornography crimes.
Warrick, LaPorte judges certified as senior judges
The Indiana Supreme Court has certified two new senior judges to serve in Indiana’s trial courts.
Legal aid funding included in budget deal
As part of the $400 billion budget deal passed by Congress early Friday morning, Legal Services Corp., which provides financial support to Indiana Legal Services, will continue to receive funding about equal to its fiscal year 2017 appropriation. The White House had once proposed completely defunding the agency.
ACLU: Indiana prison violated blind inmate’s rights
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Indiana Department of Correction, alleging that prison officials are discriminating against a blind former inmate by refusing to let him participate in a literacy program to get his sentence reduced.
Indiana-born judge Trump taunted to rule on border wall
An Indiana-born federal judge, whose Mexican heritage Donald Trump used to paint him as biased against him in a 2016 court case because of his immigration stance, will hear arguments in a lawsuit that could block construction of a border wall with Mexico.
Indiana man accused of molesting 17 children faces lawsuit
A southern Indiana man who worked as an elementary school teaching assistant is accused of sexually assaulting 17 young children and is being sued by one of his alleged victims.
COA upholds transfer of dog-shooting case to Warren County
The Tippecanoe Circuit Court properly surrendered jurisdiction of a dog-shooting case because none of the incidents giving rise to the case, including the shooting, took place in Tippecanoe County, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Sweeney nomination sails through Judiciary Committee
The nomination of James Sweeney II to the Southern Indiana District Court brought bipartisan unity Thursday to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary that was divided over other nominees to the federal bench.
Judge orders ex-CEO to pay nearly $850K in SEC farm loan case
A former finance company chief who a court noted had a history of securities law violations has been ordered to pay almost $850,000 in connection with the sale of allegedly shady securities based on farm loans.
Justices consider pre-mortem family settlement agreements
The Indiana Supreme Court must decide whether pre-mortem settlement agreements addressing the division of an estate’s assets are enforceable after hearing oral arguments Thursday in a probate dispute between two siblings.
Lawyers for Mueller case defendant ask to withdraw
Lawyers for one of the four people charged in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation have asked to withdraw from the case. Attorneys for Rick Gates say in a newly unsealed motion that "irreconcilable differences have developed with the client which make our effective representation of the client impossible."
7th Circuit reverses, orders special needs trust group to pay estate
The estate of a woman whose special needs trust was drained under questionable circumstances prevailed Wednesday before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. The founder of the organization that took the money is a suspended Indiana attorney facing charges that he stole from other clients’ trusts. The organization must now repay the estate more than $200,000.