Pro Bono Commission receives cy pres award
The Indiana Pro Bono Commission has received an award for the benefit of its districts that comes from a class-action lawsuit.
Courts
Articles
7th Circuit affirms ruling against former jail nurses
In a discrimination and hostile work environment case, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals concluded for the first time that displays of confederate flags in the workplace may support a hostile work environment claim. However, the judges agreed with the District Court that several African-American nurses formerly employed by a Marion County jail could not support their legal claims.
Legislators file amicus brief asking for narrowed Barnes decision
Seventy-one Indiana legislators have signed an amicus curiae brief that asks the Indiana Supreme Court to narrow its recent decision that held Hoosiers have no right to resist unlawful police entry into their homes. The defendant’s attorney in the case has also asked for a rehearing.
SCOTUS rules on Indiana ‘crime of violence’ case
The nation’s highest court has upheld an Indianapolis federal judge’s ruling, finding that someone who flees from police in a vehicle is committing a “crime of violence” that justifies a longer sentence.
Man’s Sixth Amendment right not violated
The failure of a judge to inquire into a defendant’s written complaint about his public defender didn’t violate the defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel, the Indiana Supreme Court held Wednesday. However, the justices explained if a trial judge finds him or herself in a situation similar to the one presented, that judge should at least receive assurances from the public defender’s office that the complaint has been adequately addressed.
Judges rule on legal malpractice action
The Indiana Court of Appeals concluded that a man has standing to pursue his legal malpractice action, although issues of material fact preclude him from summary judgment as to the attorney’s liability for malpractice.
COA: Statute of repose doesn’t bar woman’s complaint
In a case of first impression, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded that a woman’s negligence complaint isn’t barred by a statute of repose.
Prosecutor’s conduct leads to child-molesting conviction reversal
The Indiana Court of Appeals said a Tippecanoe County man has the right to a retrial on a child molestation charge because the prosecutor inappropriately vouched for the victim’s credibility and had offered to show the victim a transcript of past statements without the teenager asking for that recollection.
Disciplinary Action; June 8, 2011
Read about disciplinary actions filed by Indiana's Supreme Court.
Hearing set for UPL case
The Indiana Supreme Court won’t reconsider its 2010 decision ordering United Financial Systems Corp. to refund money for estate planning services it sold, constituting an unauthorized practice of law.
Closing Indiana’s largest MDL line
The final case in the Bridgestone/Firestone multi-district litigation has come to a close in the Southern District of Indiana, putting an end to a line of litigation that began more than a decade ago.
Clark judges sue over budget cuts
Clark Circuit and Superior judges have filed lawsuits against county officials over proposed budget cuts, restarting the kind of litigation that four years ago led to the Indiana Supreme Court’s urging that trial judges work with and share in the financial decision-making process rather than resorting to judicial mandates.
Local counsel rule found unconstitutional
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that the Northern District of Indiana was essentially creating a built-in appeal issue on ineffective assistance of counsel, and it called out a senior judge for violating a man’s Sixth Amendment right to choose his own lawyer.
Law firm managers plan for the worst
Like other businesses, law firms know it is vital to be able to serve clients during times of disaster. Locally, many firms have begun developing or have revisited business continuity plans – particularly after 2006 when a strong storm whipped through downtown Indianapolis and shattered the windows in a high-rise building, displacing several law firms.
Southern District lobby hours changing
The lobby hours for the clerks’ offices in the United States District Court and Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Indiana will be different beginning July 1.
High court splits on molestation conviction
The Indiana Supreme Court was divided June 1 in an opinion regarding whether a man could be charged with Class C felony child molesting 16 years after he last molested his stepniece.
Justices rule: No right to resist
The Indiana Supreme Court caught many people off guard when it abolished the common law right of citizens to reasonably resist police from entering their homes, no matter the situation and regardless of whether the entry is legal.
New judicial selection battle ahead?
Indiana may soon see its next battle over how the state’s top judges are selected.
Keeping baseball legal
An Indianapolis sports law attorney who represented a prosecution witness at the start of the baseball steroid case against Barry Bonds recently saw the final “at bat” for the prosecution and defense in a California courtroom.
Touched by controversy
In the history of court controversies, a recent ruling by the Indiana Supreme Court has created public outcry and calls for change in ways that few others do.