Courts to mark National Adoption Day
Judges in three Indiana courts will observe National Adoption Day on Friday by presiding over several uncontested adoptions and opening their courtrooms for media coverage of the events.
Courts
Articles
Court affirms termination of parental rights for drug-using mom, dad
A mother who used methamphetamine while pregnant and continued to abuse drugs after her children were judged in need of services was properly denied parental rights, as was the children’s often-absent father, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
Southern District proposes mandatory e-filing, pro hac rule changes
Nearly all federal court filings in the Southern District will have to be done electronically under local rule changes proposed for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
Appeals court rules wrong state law applied in truck crash, but result is same
A trial court erroneously applied Georgia law in a lawsuit brought by a truck driver injured in a collision in West Virginia, but correctly applied Indiana law yielded the same result, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
Owners of foul-smelling washing machines granted class certification by 7th Circuit
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has granted class certification to owners of odor-emitting Kenmore washers, allowing their lawsuit against Sears, Roebuck and Co. to go forward.
COA finds plea agreement was not circumvented by admission of uncharged conduct at sentencing
A convicted child molester’s argument that the trial court abused its discretion by admitting during sentencing the testimony of two other alleged victims was rejected by the Indiana Court of Appeals. The court described the appellant’s contention as “pure conjecture supported by nothing in the record.”
Divided COA allows suit after wage claim fails at Department of Labor
A worker who left employment at a Columbus construction company may pursue his wage claim in court after his complaint had been assigned to the Indiana Department of Labor, a divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
Supreme Court upholds trial court’s ruling on professor’s dismissal
Despite a professor’s claim that he was in a joyous mood when he interacted with a colleague and his actions were harmless, the Indiana Supreme Court upheld his dismissal from his tenured teaching position.
Rush to take lead on proposed Commission on Children, juvenile panels
Justice Loretta Rush is poised to take a leading position on matters of juvenile law and head a proposed Indiana Commission on Children, according to an order of the Indiana Supreme Court issued Tuesday.
Supreme Court takes 2 cases, rejects 17
The Indiana Supreme Court took two not-for-publication cases last week and denied transfer in 17 other cases.
Justices: COA overreached on reversing trial court custody ruling
The Court of Appeals got it wrong when it reversed a trial court custody modification in favor of a child’s father, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in one of the first opinions joined by Justice Loretta Rush.
SCOTUS to hear Ball State discrimination complaint
A food service worker at Ball State University who claims that the college bears responsibility for racial discrimination by coworkers will have her case heard this month by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Retired Knox County judge leaves legacy of helping youth
Retired Knox County judge and civic leader Edward Charles Theobald died Nov. 9.
COA to hear challenge to sex offender monitoring program
An Allen County man’s argument that the state’s Sex Offender Management and Monitoring Program is unconstitutional will be heard Tuesday by a panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Feds charge 8 more NW Indiana gang members
Federal prosecutors on Friday charged eight alleged Imperial Gangsters street gang members in a 41-count indictment that expands on previous homicide and drug trafficking charges.
Five indicted on Medicaid fraud charges
Federal prosecutors this week indicted five people and three affiliated companies on charges of defrauding Medicaid of millions of dollars, according to the office of U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana David Capp.
Appeals court finds for insurer in worker’s comp case where victim’s mother died
The mother of an injured worker whose estate claims she died due to emotional distress caused by an insurer’s handling of her son’s case cannot directly sue the insurer before exhausting the regulatory process, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Man not required to register in Indiana for Illinois crime
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled it’s a violation of the ex post facto provision of the state’s constitution to require a man who committed a sex crime in Illinois, but now lives in Indiana, to register in Indiana because the laws requiring him to register in both states were enacted after he committed the crime in Illinois.
Bankruptcy filings down across US, Indiana
Bankruptcy cases filed in federal courts for the 12-month period ending Sept. 30 were down 14 percent as compared to fiscal year 2011, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts announced Wednesday. Filings are down more than 11 percent in the Northern and Southern District courts of Indiana.
Greenfield seminar to focus on public access laws
Attorneys can get two hours of free continuing legal education credit at a public access seminar next week in Greenfield, the last in a statewide series this year. The event is open to the public and will focus on Indiana’s public records and open government meeting laws.