Indianapolis man sentenced to prison in dragging death
A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to five years in prison in the death of a woman who authorities say was dragged with his car.
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Man gets 65 years for fatally beating gay South Bend vet
A northern Indiana man convicted of fatally beating a gay Afghanistan war veteran has been sentenced to the maximum 65 years in prison.
Supreme Court: Union County lacks standing to sue INDOT
The Indiana Supreme Court has affirmed the dismissal of a case seeking declaratory judgment and an injunction against the Indiana Department of Transportation, finding the local government entity bringing the action against INDOT lacked standing to do so.
Big Pharma’s tobacco moment as star lawyers push opioid suits
Big Pharma is having a Big Tobacco moment as litigation over opioids attract star lawyers and a growing list of states and local governments seeking their own multibillion-dollar payout to deal with costs of a burgeoning drug epidemic.
COA: Attack on wrestling event attendee was unforeseeable
A woman who was injured in an attack while walking from a Bartholomew County wrestling event to her car cannot succeed on her negligence claim against the wrestling company because the attack was not foreseeable, so the company did not owe a duty to her, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Federal courts open comment period on proposed rule amendments
The United States Courts’ Judicial Conference Advisory Committees on Appellate, Bankruptcy, Criminal and Evidence Rules is seeking public comment on a series of proposed rule amendments, including changes related to hearsay rules and the use of technology in court proceedings.
High court defers to jury’s judgment, affirms enhanced meth conviction
Deferring to the role of a jury to hear evidence and draw related inferences, the Indiana Supreme Court has affirmed a man’s enhanced conviction of dealing meth within 500 feet of a public park, finding the jury was in the best position to determine if children were “reasonably expected” to be at the park at the time of the crimes.
Judge: Federal courts lack general expungement power
A woman who twice petitioned to have a federal theft of bank funds conviction expunged lost in her second bid, and the judge denying the motion said district courts lack such authority.
Evansville law library gets a new librarian and brighter future
Even as legal research materials continue to migrate to online platforms, the Evansville legal community has rallied to save its county law library.
NAACP sues Indiana, alleges law targets black, Latino voters
The NAACP is suing Indiana officials to block a new state law that the civil rights group says would discriminate against black and Latino voters in heavily populated Lake County by consolidating voting precincts.
Appeal of legal fees in frivolous case results in more fees
A father who appealed an award of attorney fees in a long-running dispute over the use of funds in a family limited partnership now must pay appellate legal fees as well, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled. The court found the appeal “merely another attempt to harass the parties involved.”
Life without parole affirmed for second brother in Richmond Hill explosion
A man convicted as one of the masterminds of a deadly conspiracy to blow up a home on the south side of Indianapolis and collect the insurance money will spend the rest of his life in prison after the Indiana Supreme Court affirmed his murder convictions and the constitutionality of Indiana’s life without parole statute.
State to retry man in St. Joe triple-murder case
A St. Joseph County man twice convicted in a triple homicide and sentenced to death will receive a third trial after the state announced Friday it had taken steps to begin a retrial.
COA approves permit for Traders Point-area gas station
An Indianapolis property developer can move forward with his plans to build a gas station and convenience story in the city after the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday the developer was properly awarded a permit for his building project.
Judge orders Carmel to halt work on 96th Street roundabout project
The city of Carmel has been ordered by a Boone County judge to cease any work on its proposed 96th Street roundabout project, which is the subject of an ongoing land dispute with Indianapolis.
Northern Indiana man gets 3 years for withholding HIV status
A northern Indiana man has been sentenced to three years in prison for having sex with women and not telling them he was HIV-positive.
Probation revocation affirmed for man convicted of raping 92-year-old woman
An Indiana trial court was not required to hold a competency hearing before revoking a man’s probation on a rape conviction because the man did not request such a hearing and did not prove that his mental illness was so severe as to relieve him of criminal responsibility for violating his probation, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
Felony syringe conviction reversed for lack of evidence
An Indiana’s man felony syringe conviction has been overturned after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined the evidence was insufficient to prove the man was in possession of the syringe for an unlawful purpose.
Trial court, not Tax Court, to hear case involving both annexation, tax law
An Indiana trial court has jurisdiction to hear a dispute between Allen County fire departments that is grounded in both annexation and tax law as the facts of the case do not require the interpretation of “substantive tax law,” the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
COA: Transgender individuals don’t have to publish intent to change gender marker
Transgender individuals in Indiana seeking to change their gender markers on their birth certificates are not required under Indiana law to publish notice of their intent to change, as there is currently no statutory authority requiring such notice, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.