Former nursing home employee faces forgery, fraud charges
A former employee at a southeastern Indiana nursing home faces charges alleging that she bilked the home's elderly residents out of nearly $10,000 in Medicare funds.
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Indiana woman sues township over urine sample rule
A southwestern Indiana woman is suing a township trustee's office, alleging that she was denied government assistance because her disabilities prevented her from providing a required urine sample for a drug screening test.
Bisard exhausts appeals as justices deny transfer
The Indiana Supreme Court won’t hear an appeal from former Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer David Bisard, who was convicted of killing one motorcyclist and seriously injuring two others while driving drunk in his police cruiser.
Jury foreman sent to jail for 30 days for using cellphone
The foreman of a North Carolina jury is spending 30 days in jail because he used his cellphone in the jury room.
Appeals court sets aside conviction of bin Laden assistant
A federal appeals court on Friday set aside the military commission conviction of a Guantanamo Bay detainee who allegedly produced an al-Qaida recruiting video and served as Osama bin Laden’s personal assistant and public relations secretary.
Reversal: IDACS error no basis to suppress meth evidence
Southern Indiana authorities who arrested a man for buying pseudoephedrine had probable cause even though the suspect had not been convicted of a prior methamphetamine charge, as a state database reported.
Back pain, fear for son no basis for unemployment benefits
An employee who voluntarily left employment was not wrongly denied unemployment benefits by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Justices strip adoption, reinstate statute COA struck down
An adoptive maternal grandmother who the Court of Appeals ruled provided care in her grandchildren’s best interests despite a 1997 neglect conviction is legally barred from adopting them, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled. Justices also rebuked a COA determination that the statute was unconstitutional as applied.
Judges split over whether to reinstate jury verdict
The Indiana Court of Appeals ordered a jury verdict, tossed out by the trial court in a negligence case stemming from a car accident, reinstated because the judge did not follow Trial Rule 59(J). The dissenting judge believed the trial court should have the opportunity to supplement its order first.
COA finds homeowners association committed slander of title
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in favor of an Iowa couple, finding the homeowners association where the couple lived and subsequently rented out their home committed slander of title. The homeowners association recorded a lien against their home after finding the couple did not comply with the covenant’s requirements when leasing their home.
2 judges, public defender selected as COA judge finalists
Two trial court judges with a breadth of experience hearing criminal and civil matters and a public defender who’s tried hundreds of appeals are finalists to be the next Indiana Court of Appeals judge.
To dodge conflicts, make waivers specific
Should law firms rethink their client engagement letters, and more specifically, the advance waiver clauses they include?
Tippecanoe County Courthouse dome rusted, needs repairs
Small pieces of metal are falling from the Tippecanoe County Courthouse and officials say its dome and pillars need repairs.
Nominating Commission names 3 finalists
The next Indiana Court of Appeals judge will be Marion Superior Judge Robert R. Altice Jr., Wabash Superior Judge Christopher M. Goff or Patricia McMath of the Marion County Public Defender Agency. They are the three finalists that the Indiana Judicial Nominating Commission selected Wednesday after holding interviews most of the day.
COA reverses blanket exclusion for testimony of eavesdropping officers
In a split decision, the Indiana Court of Appeals decided on interlocutory appeal that a trial court should not have issued a blanket exclusion order preventing all of the officers who eavesdropped on a defendant’s conversation with his attorney from testifying in any matter in the case.
Hussmann to retire from Southern District
U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge William G. Hussmann Jr. has announced plans to retire Jan. 31, 2016, opening another vacancy in the Indiana federal judiciary.
Wife loses appeal of custody arrangement, contempt finding
A trial court did not abuse its discretion when it found a wife in contempt of the court’s preliminary order regarding parenting time and visitation and when it entered a custody arrangement not requested by the parties, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
War vet says Indianapolis house explosion caused flashback
A war veteran has testified that a 2012 explosion that heavily damaged an Indianapolis neighborhood and killed two people caused a flashback to his time in Afghanistan.
Court ruling against gay marriage could cause legal ‘chaos’
Gay and lesbian couples could face legal chaos if the Supreme Court of the United States rules against same-sex marriage in the next few weeks.
COA: Accomplice liability instruction is harmless error
Although the trial court erred in instructing the jury during a man’s murder and attempted murder trial regarding accomplice liability as it applied to attempted murder, the error was harmless, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Wednesday.