Exclusion of money talk not a reversible error
A trial court’s error in excluding explicit statements about money is not reversible and does not provide the grounds to overturn a drug conviction.
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Heavily redacted report cannot hide behind business-judgment rule
Although a report produced by a special litigation committee contains privileged information, the plaintiffs must be allowed full access to the unredacted version in order to determine if the investigation was extensive and conduced in good faith.
ITLA to give $30,000 Conour donation to restitution fund
A $30,000 donation that convicted former attorney William Conour made four years ago to the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association will be given to a federal court fund to provide restitution to his fraud victims.
Firing of officer who stunned nursing home patient was supported by evidence
A police chief and city review board were within their rights to terminate the employment of an officer who repeatedly used a Taser on a 64-year-old nursing home patient. An appellate panel Monday reversed a trial court order that had thrown out the officer’s firing.
Newspaper loses appeal over access to death records
A newspaper was not improperly denied access to death records, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Affirmed sentence in home invasion, sex assault clarifies aggravator standards
An Indianapolis man’s 40-year executed sentence for leading a home invasion and forcing the woman who lived there to perform oral sex at gunpoint wasn’t improper, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
ACLU suit targets Evansville schools’ service-dog restrictions
Evansville public schools’ restrictive policy on service dogs is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ACLU of Indiana contends in a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of two high-schoolers whose medical conditions require the animals.
Southern District Bankruptcy Court amends rules
New rules in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana regarding wage assignment orders in Chapter 13 cases and additional requirements for electronic filing will be effective Sept. 23, according to an order posted Thursday.
ACLU sues for Winamac girl who wants to play football
A northern Indiana girl who was denied the opportunity to try out for her middle school’s football team has filed a gender-equality lawsuit in federal court.
Brown County logging damages award stands
A landowner’s award of $55,572.50 in damages caused by a logging contractor at a property in Brown County was properly calculated, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
Appeals panel reinstates claims of capacity, undue influence in trust dispute
A family feud involving half-siblings contesting the trust bequeathed by their mother was improperly disposed of through summary judgment, a panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
Man tried twice for same offense, but relief denial affirmed
A divided Indiana Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a man convicted of rape on retrial was unconstitutionally prosecuted twice for the same offense, but the court upheld denial of post-conviction relief.
Supreme Court takes closer reading of precedent in affirming post-conviction relief
A man’s 2002 guilty plea to a habitual traffic violator offense will be set aside after the Indiana Supreme Court held his 1989 conviction in Fayette County constituted a material error.
Justices affirm new trial in estate awarded $41,400 in hotel killing
The Indiana Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court order for a new trial in a case involving a $41,400 award made to the estate of a man who was killed at a Speedway hotel by a former employee.
Men sentenced for aiding inmate-run meth ring
Two men found guilty of participating in a drug-trafficking ring directed by Indiana prison inmates were sentenced in federal court on Tuesday.
Expired time limit does not prevent estoppel argument, Supreme Court rules
Citing the reasoning in a dissenting opinion, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled an injured driver can present his argument of why he should be allowed to file a lawsuit against a government entity even though the time limit has expired.
New planning report form now in use in Northern District
Effective Aug. 14, the Northern District of Indiana has a new form for the “Report of Parties’ Planning Meeting” that is required to be submitted after the parties’ Rule 26(f) planning conference. This new form is to be used going forward.
3 things to know about the boundaries of closing arguments
Attorneys James Bell and Mike Gaerte discuss the three things that criminal defense attorneys should know about the limits of a prosecutor's closing arguments.
Past associations with Conour get lawyers named in civil suits
William Conour’s multi-million-dollar fraud has produced an avalanche of state and federal lawsuits naming as defendants several attorneys who used to work with the once-prominent personal-injury and wrongful-death attorney.
Farm smells ignite debate but no consensus reached
Before dinner can be prepared and served at the table, the food has to be raised on a farm. However, Old MacDonald’s Farm with its placid scenes of pigs and cows is a shrinking segment of American farming, being replaced with large industrial agricultural operations with hundreds and thousands of animals.