Indianapolis attorney gets probation for felony theft conviction
An Indianapolis attorney who pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge for stealing from a charity for the benefit of sick children has been sentenced to six months of probation.
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About 250 lawyers face suspension over unmet dues, education requirements
More than 150 Indiana lawyers and nearly 100 out-of-state attorneys face suspension from the practice of law for unpaid dues, violations of Interest on Lawyer Trust Account rules or failure to comply with continuing legal education requirements.
SCOTUS remands 2 Indiana abortion cases, won’t hear ‘buffer zone’ challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday remanded to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals two lawsuits challenging Indiana laws restricting abortions, leaving undisturbed for now lower court rulings striking down state laws that would have required stricter ultrasound measures and parental notification for mature minors.
Justices keep hold on secret Russia investigation material
The Supreme Court of the United States is denying Congress access to secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation through the November election.
Supreme Court permits Lake County jury trial to start
A civil jury trial is underway in Lake County after the Indiana Supreme Court granted a request to hold a two-day trial starting Wednesday – the first in an Indiana trial court since the suspension of in-person court proceedings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
7th Circuit rejects convicted killer’s habeas petition over uncommunicated plea deal
A convicted killer lost his appeal in a federal habeas case in which he claimed he was entitled to relief from a 65-year prison sentence because his lawyer failed to convey a plea deal before he was convicted after a second trial.
Judgment against widow in late husband’s workplace injury suit upheld
The widow of a man who sued his employer after a fall at a construction site failed to convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that a federal district court ruled for her late husband’s employer.
7th Circuit finds judge misapplied prison rule without explanation
A judge who overturned prison discipline for an inmate who wrote an unauthorized check to a fellow inmate’s family member left a panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals puzzled in a brief reversal Monday.
COA: No error in Decatur County divorce terms
The terms of a Decatur County divorce have been upheld on appeal, with the Indiana Court of Appeal rejecting arguments from both exes that the trial court erred in assessing and dividing assets and liabilities.
COA reverses denial of elderly man’s Medicaid application
An elderly man living in a nursing home was wrongly denied Medicaid benefits, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday, reversing a decision from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration.
Appeals court affirms battery-by-bodily fluid statute includes spitting
An inmate who spat on a correctional officer lost his appeal Tuesday in which he argued, among other things, that Indiana’s battery by bodily fluid statute is unconstitutional for vagueness.
SCOTUS: Booking.com can trademark its name
The Supreme Court says travel website Booking.com can trademark its name, a ruling that also impacts other companies whose name is a generic word followed by “.com.”
Supreme Court lifts ban on state aid to religious schooling
The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it easier for religious schools to obtain public funds, upholding a Montana scholarship program that allows state tax credits for private schooling.
SCOTUS upholds prostitution pledge for groups getting AIDS funding
The US Supreme Court has upheld a provision of federal law that requires foreign affiliates of U.S.-based health organizations to denounce prostitution as a condition of receiving taxpayer money to fight AIDS around the world.
Divided appeals panel finds for restaurant in slip-and-fall case
An Indianapolis restaurant that appealed the denial of summary judgment in a woman’s slip-and-fall case won a divided ruling Monday when two of three members of an Indiana Court of Appeals panel sided with the eatery.
Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana abortion clinic law
A divided Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big abortion case of the Trump era.
Police-trainee’s blood-draw suppression in 2015 crash case reversed
A former police trainee accused of causing a drunken-driving crash on Interstate 465 five summers ago will go back to court with more evidence against him. The Indiana Supreme Court on Monday ruled that results of a blood draw after he refused a breath test were wrongly suppressed in Marion Superior Court.
7th Circuit halts deportation of crime victim, allows immigration judges to close cases
An Indianapolis man who came to the United States as a child and subsequently qualified for a limited visa as a victim of crime who cooperated with law enforcement was wrongly ordered deported, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The decision also rejected caselaw that limited immigration judges’ ability to administratively close cases when warranted.
Legal malpractice claim was far beyond statute of limitations, 7th Circuit affirms
A woman who filed a legal malpractice claim in a matter that began more than 20 years ago failed to convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that her complaint over the distribution of a trust was timely.
Justices order new attempted murder trial after jury instruction ‘dilutes’ self-defense standard
The Indiana Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a man convicted of attempted murder and handgun charges, finding an erroneous jury instruction diluted the standard for claiming self-defense.