Justices: Commissioners may void county fire districts
The Indiana Supreme Court held Tuesday in long-running litigation out of Brown County that county commissioners in Indiana have the authority to dissolve county fire districts.
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Summary judgment denied in business owners’ tax appeal
Reminding the parties that the summary judgment procedure is not a substitute for trial, the Indiana Tax Court has denied an attempt by the Indiana Department of State Revenue to end a long-running tax dispute.
Feds: Fogle colleague pleads to exploiting 12 children
The former director of ex-Subway pitchman Jared Fogle’s anti-childhood obesity foundation sexually exploited 12 minor children in Indiana, federal authorities said Tuesday in releasing an information against Russell Taylor. Some of the children depicted in videos Taylor shared with Fogle were as young as 6, authorities said, ranging to age 14.
Federal judge orders defiant Kentucky clerk, staff to court
A county clerk in Kentucky who has invoked “God's authority” and is defying the Supreme Court of the United States by refusing to license same-sex marriage has been summoned along with her entire staff to explain to a federal judge why she should not face stiff fines or jail time.
Admitting evidence of ‘signature’ crime was harmless error
The Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed the conviction of a man who broke into a woman’s home, severely beat her and attempted to rape her. Evidence that the man looked into the window of another woman in the neighborhood 57 days later should not have been admitted at his trial, but the error was harmless in light of DNA evidence connecting the man to the crime.
COA affirms on rehearing ruling against revenue department
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed on rehearing Monday its opinion reversing summary judgment in favor of the Department of Revenue in a dispute over whether an award from a state agency in Marion County could be levied against a judgment in Marshall County.
Lake Station mayor, wife go on trial in federal court
The mayor of a northwestern Indiana city and his wife are going on trial on federal charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and filing false tax returns.
Valpo ex-attorney Holesinger gets 10 years
Former Valparaiso attorney Clark Holesinger has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $1 million in restitution to clients he defrauded.
7th Circuit affirms judgment for school in bullying case
A federal lawsuit brought against northwestern Indiana school corporations over a child’s alleged bullying was properly decided in favor of the schools on summary judgment, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.
COA ceremonies set for Friedlander and Altice
Ceremonies have been announced for judges transitioning off and on the Indiana Court of Appeals. A retirement ceremony for Judge Ezra H. Friedlander is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the Indiana Supreme Court courtroom. Chief Judge Nancy H. Vaidik will preside.
Kentucky taxpayers owe $2.3 million in fees in same-sex marriage case
Attorneys who successfully challenged Kentucky’s ban on same-sex marriage have submitted a bill for more than $2 million in legal fees, court costs and related expenses. The state of Kentucky, as the losing party in the case, gets stuck with the tab under federal civil-rights law.
Prisoner’s Zantac lawsuit gives federal judges heartburn
An Indiana inmate’s lawsuit claiming prison staff showed deliberate indifference in denying him Zantac to treat a known esophageal reflux condition erupted in a war of words between two 7th Circuit Court of Appeals judges.
TV’s ‘Shift’ suspect got shaft, but rights weren’t violated
A man who was wrongly arrested and charged with murder by Indianapolis police, whose investigation was being documented for the reality TV series “The Shift,” lost his appeal in a civil rights lawsuit against police.
Consumers don’t have to wait for fraudulent charges
A recent ruling from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals – the first to find that consumers do suffer harm when their credit card information is stolen – may be headed back to appellate court after the defendant retailer accused the judges of “loose thinking.”
Judicial luminaries to mark Magna Carta’s 800th year
A who’s who of Indiana lawyers and state and federal court judges will soon mark eight centuries since Britain’s King John relented in the face of a baron rebellion and placed his seal on the document that guaranteed, among other things, right to a trial by jury.
District Court too heavy-handed in judgment, 7th Circuit rules
A $2.7 million judgment in a messy dispute between a supplier and a now defunct furniture manufacturer has been overturned by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which called the award “too heavy a sanction.”
COA splits over railroad benefits in divorce case
A trial court erred in ordering a man’s future railroad retirement benefits subject to a division of marital assets in a divorce case, a divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Monday.
Maternity leave not excusable neglect for bank, but remand ordered
Huntington Bank failed to convince the Indiana Supreme Court that an overlooked notice in a mortgage foreclosure case was excusable neglect because the person who normally handled such notices was on maternity leave.
Supreme Court reverses termination of father’s parental rights
A man serving a 10-year sentence for dealing in methamphetamine, neglect of a dependent and maintaining a common nuisance is being given the opportunity to show he has changed.
Tax court reaffirms ruling against Grant County assessor
The Indiana Tax Court on Friday reaffirmed its ruling that a company received insufficient notice of a retroactive assessment of its property in Grant County.