COA: Defendants have right to counsel before drug recognition exam
A woman had her conviction overturned after the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled she should have been allowed to consult an attorney before undergoing a drug recognition exam.
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COA affirms dismissal of Johnson County public defender suit
A case challenging the constitutionality of Johnson County’s contract-based public defender system will not proceed after the Indiana Court of Appeals on Friday upheld the dismissal of the case against several Johnson County judges, attorneys and commissioners.
COA upholds bar’s partial liability for hit-and-run
The Indiana Court of Appeals on Friday affirmed judgments of liability against a Lake County bar accused of overserving a patron who drove a vehicle that struck another departing customer.
COA lets claims of man who lost eye proceed against toolmaker
A man who lost an eye after a cut-off disc on a pneumatic grinder he was using disintegrated and struck him in the face may proceed with his claims against the toolmaker, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
Judge twice investigated for gun encounters with ex admonished
A southern Indiana judge who is accused of twice introducing guns into heated encounters with his estranged wife, leading to police intervention, has been publicly admonished by the Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission.
Government seeks change to order lifting Trump refugee ban
Lawyers with the Department of Justice have asked a federal judge to change his order that partially lifted a Trump administration refugee ban.
IU wins after sued by fired director accused of sexual harassment
A district court judge has granted summary judgment to Indiana University’s School of Dentistry and high-ranking members of its faculty after finding the school did not violate a former clinic director’s rights by firing him for alleged sexual harassment of students.
Conour to be resentenced; feds on guard for ‘brazen’ arguments
The 10-year prison sentence imposed on former attorney and convicted fraudster William Conour has been vacated and remanded for resentencing. The government Wednesday urged the judge who will again resentence him not to indulge arguments that he, rather than former clients he stole from, is a victim.
COA sends I-69 property-taking dispute to damages trial
A property rights dispute between the state and a Monroe County property owner must proceed to a trial on damages after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined the state’s condemnation action against the Monroe County property constituted a compensable taking.
7th Circuit affirms ruling for employer on discrimination claims
Indiana’s Southern District Court properly granted summary judgment to a black man on a discrimination case against his former employer after finding the man failed to prove his termination was based on discriminatory practices, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
Judge: Bid to grant elephants personhood ‘wholly frivolous’
A Connecticut judge has denied a petition by an animal rights group to grant parenthood to three elephants in a traveling petting zoo, calling the request “wholly frivolous.”
Indiana high court to hear Simon-Starbucks dispute
The Indiana Supreme court will decide whether Starbucks Corp. can close 77 Teavana stores in malls across the country after granting an appeal in Simon Property Group’s case against the coffee giant. The high court asserted its authority to assume jurisdiction in cases it deems an emergency.
Babysitter’s serious neglect convictions, sentence affirmed
A babysitter convicted of inflicting a life-threatening head injury on an infant in her care lost her appeal of her felony convictions and sentence after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined neither court error nor insufficient evidence warranted reversal.
Dog-bite case to proceed after COA reverses judgment for owners
A Brownsburg dog-bite case must proceed to trial after the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday there were genuine issues of material fact as to whether the dog owners breached their duty to the man who was attacked and, thus, reversed summary judgment.
District court rules language in Indiana abortion statute void for vagueness
In the most recent decision in a lengthy legal battle over the constitutionality of Indiana’s abortion laws, a district court judge has struck down language that would prohibit the receipt, sale, transfer or acquiring of aborted fetal tissue.
District court to reconsider convicted robber’s sentence
A man convicted in federal court of two armed robberies will get a chance at a more lenient sentence after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent warranted review of the sentence previously imposed on the man.
Court considering charges in 1980 police officer death
A state appeals court is considering whether to throw out the case against a northwestern Indiana man facing murder and other charges in connection with the 1980 shooting death of a police officer killed while working a private security job.
In 2017, IL readers most followed these links
Breaking news and online updates of major legal stories were the most-read articles on TheIndianaLawyer.com in 2017, according to an analysis of pageviews. Here are the IL’s Top 20 most-read online stories of the past year.
Indiana Supreme Court considers eavesdropping case
The Indiana Supreme Court has taken up an eavesdropping case that could result in a new state standard to determine when prosecutorial misconduct is so egregious that a criminal suspect can no longer be made to stand trial.
Top 10 legal stories of 2017 focus on law schools, court changes
The closing of 4-year-old Indiana Tech Law School in Fort Wayne, and the revelation that 138-year-old Valparaiso University Law School faced an uncertain future, made law school troubles the top legal news story of 2017, as determined by the staff of Indiana Lawyer. Changes on the federal and state bench also were among the year’s top stories.