New law will give immunity to volunteer medical workers
Doctors, nurses and other health care providers will have civil immunity for their volunteer work under a new Indiana law.
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Parents of autistic children gird for showdown with Anthem
A showdown is brewing over autism therapy in Indiana. After an Elkhart couple with an autistic son sued Indianapolis-based health insurer Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in April, autism families around the state have started a campaign to get Anthem to change its policy for covering therapy for school-age children.
Do-over expected to bring same result in contraception case
In a second round of oral arguments regarding the University of Notre Dame’s challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals not only remained dubious of the school’s assertions but also seemed perplexed as to why the case came back to the court.
Mediation Assistance Program appoints counsel to help litigants settle cases
The program, started in 2009, matches attorney volunteers with pro se litigants as they enter settlement talks. In its inaugural year, MAP appointed legal counsel to two settlement conferences. By 2013, MAP attorneys assisted in 43 conferences.
Johnson County ADR program sees uptick in caseload
Every day, a program in Franklin works with families struggling with divorce, custody battles and child support disputes. The goal is to help resolve arguments, get cases through the court system faster, and help families move on.
Indiana attorney disbarred by Supreme Court for ‘profoundly disturbing’ behavior
R. Mark Keaton lost his license to practice law recently, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing his vendetta against a woman who ended what the Indiana Supreme Court called “a tempestuous long-distance relationship.”
Jury is out on Indiana Tax Court
The Indiana Supreme Court on April 20 appointed a task force to study the work volume, operations and performance of Indiana’s Tax Court, created in 1986 by the Legislature to remove the intricate tax cases from state trial courts.
Indiana Supreme Court approves amended pro bono reporting rule
The Indiana Supreme Court has amended the state’s new pro bono reporting rule, narrowing the focus to measuring only the direct representation given to indigent litigants.
Justices to review ruling for father of fatally injured moped rider
The Indiana Supreme Court will hear a case, stemming from a fatal crash, in which the trial court and Court of Appeals reached different results.
Judge allows woman’s suit over jail miscarriage to proceed
A federal judge has ruled that a northern Indiana woman can proceed with her lawsuit alleging negligence in a miscarriage she suffered while in custody.
Central Indiana county seeks to develop work release program
Officials in a central Indiana county are seeking to develop a community work release program that would keep the jail from becoming overcrowded and could save taxpayers the expense of having to expand or eventually build a new jail.
Split 7th Circuit allows death penalty challenge asserting intellectual disability
A killer sentenced in Texas and awaiting execution on federal death row in Terre Haute will be allowed to proceed with efforts to present new evidence of intellectual disability that would make him ineligible for capital punishment, a 7th Circuit Court of Appeals en banc review determined in a 6-5 opinion.
Judge, attorney credited for robust recovery for victims of securities fraud
The more than 90 investors who lost $9.7 million in a securities fraud perpetrated by Fishers hedge fund manager Keenan Hauke will recover about 33 percent of their losses – a far better outcome than is typical in cases of its kind.
Fort Wayne attorney named new Allen Superior magistrate
A private practice attorney and former Indiana Department of Child Services attorney has been chosen as magistrate judge in Allen Superior Court Family Relations Division.
COA orders judgment in favor of woman on adverse possession claim
Because there is evidence that both the woman who purchased land from a trust and the trustee paid taxes on a disputed 1.8 acres of land for at least 10 years, the woman’s claim for adverse possession of the land should be granted, the Indiana Court of Appeals held.
Court OKs admission of tweets, reverses criminal gang activity conviction
In a case of first impression regarding the authentication of social media posts, the Indiana Court of Appeals held that the testimony from the defendant’s girlfriend that the Twitter account belonged to her boyfriend, as well as content from that account, sufficiently showed the defendant was the author of its tweets.
Man’s conviction from controlled drug buy upheld
An Anderson man who was criminally convicted for selling drugs to a confidential informant waived both his arguments on appeal, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. And, the judges found no fundamental error in a jury instruction given or the admission of cash found on the defendant by police.
COA orders woman’s sentence revised to include credit time
The Indiana Court of Appeals found Thursday that a trial court incorrectly calculated the sentence a woman should serve in the Department of Correction after she had her probation revoked.
Revised sentence modification statute not applicable in defendant’s case
A trial court did not err in denying a man’s petition to modify his sentence after finding that the current version of the sentencing modification statute is not applicable to his sentence, which he began serving in 1989. The Indiana Court of Appeals panel relied on a January decision by its colleagues to affirm the denial of Mitchell Swallows’ petition.