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Justices asked to take legal malpractice case

The Indiana Supreme Court is being asked to take a legal malpractice case in which an Indianapolis law firm got hit with an $18 million verdict two years ago.Attorneys representing law firm Fillenwarth Dennerline Groth & Towe filed a petition for transfer with the state’s highest court Monday in Frederick W. Dennerline III, et al. v. Jim Atterholt, Insurance Commissioner of the State of Indiana, No. 49A04-0610-CV-557. This move comes following the Indiana Court of Appeals ruling in May that upheld the…

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Justices overturn judgment in trampoline case

In a case of first impression involving a trampoline, premises liability, and the attractive-nuisance doctrine, the Indiana Supreme Court today overturned summary judgment that originally had been in favor of the trampoline owners, citing material issues of facts in the case. The high court granted transfer in Beth Palmer Kopczynski, individually and as next friend and parent of Alisha Palmer, and Alisha Palmer v. David Bryan Barger and Peggy Lucas Barger, No. 88S05-0710-CV-423, to determine whether the Bargers were responsible for an…

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COA affirms jail phone commissions

After years of litigation, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today that the Marion County Sheriff and the Indiana Department of Administration were allowed to enter into contracts with a phone company that provided commissions to the sheriff and IDOA on phone calls made from the jail and prison facilities. In Chanelle Linet Alexander, et al. v. The Marion County Sheriff and the Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Administration, No. 49A02-0708-CV-716, the plaintiffs are a class of people who have been…

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Tax sale petitions OK because of lack of notice

The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in favor of a woman in two separate cases involving the purchase of her property at tax sales in Franklin County after determining she received insufficient notice of the sales.

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Justices again deny election request

The Indiana Supreme Court has denied for the second time in two months a request to get involved in a Terre Haute mayoral election dispute.The justices sent notice Tuesday to attorneys that they won’t bypass the Court of Appeals on a dispute resulting from the November election, when Republican Duke Bennett ousted incumbent Democrat Mayor Kevin Burke by about 110 votes.The court had previously decided not to get involved in an issue about whether Vigo Superior Judge David Bolk had jurisdiction…

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Judge strikes down new obscene-material law

On the day a new Indiana law was set to take effect, U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker struck it down as being unconstitutionally vague, overbroad, and a violation of the First Amendment.The 31-page ruling was issued by the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, this afternoon in Big Hat Books, et al. v. Prosecutors, 1:08-CV-00596, a challenge to House Enrolled Act 1042 that would have required any person or organization wanting to sell literature or other material…

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Jury undecided so judge orders death

An Evansville judge has handed down the first death sentence since Indiana lawmakers changed the jury’s role six years ago. The sentence also is likely the first execution order resulting from a penalty-phase hung jury since 1993.The execution of Daniel Ray Wilkes is set for Jan. 25, 2009, but that will likely be delayed for years by appeals and could have potential to reach the Supreme Court of the United States as an issue of first impression about whether a death…

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COA travels to Lafayette, IU campuses

The Indiana Court of Appeals will visit three Indiana colleges April 8 and 9 to hear arguments in cases regarding child molestation, defamatory statements, and ineffective counsel.Judges will visit Ivy Tech Community College in Lafayette Tuesday to hear arguments regarding a case on appeal from Lake Superior Court. Arguments for Victor Vega Torres v. State of Indiana, 45A03-0708-CR-385, begin at 10 a.m. in Ivy Hall. Judges Ezra Friedlander, Margret Robb, and Cale Bradford will have to decide whether Torres’ maximum sentence of eight years…

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Justices disagree on revising man’s sentence

The Indiana Supreme Court used a man’s appeal of his sentence for neglect of a dependent to examine how appellate courts review sentences; the court remanded the case so the man’s sentence could be reduced. In Rudy Wayne Cardwell v. State of Indiana, No. 10S05-0811-CR-588, the justices reviewed their decision in Anglemyer v. State, 868 N.E.2d 482 (Ind. 2007), in terms of appellate review of sentencing. The court unanimously agreed that assigning relative weights to properly found facts can often present…

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Case management system to get new features

The Indiana Supreme Court is investing $1.1 million to add computer features to its case management system being implemented statewide in the coming years.Adding to the millions already invested in the state’s largest-ever technology project, the high court has decided to purchase a supervision module for its Odyssey Case Management System, currently in place in Monroe County and the Marion County Small Claims Court in Washington Township; it will be launched in a handful of other counties by early next year.Justice…

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Luncheon to discuss women’s health, law

The Sagamore Institute for Policy Research is hosting a luncheon Friday to examine how to improve the health of women in contemporary society.The event, “Improving Women’s Health through Law and Policy,” features Linda Chezem, professor at Indiana University and Purdue University, and former Indiana Court of Appeals judge; Krieg DeVault attorney Leah Mannweiler; Dr. Kathy D. Miller, associate director for clinical research at IU Simon Cancer Center; and Tanya Parrish, director of the Office of Women’s Health in the Indiana State…

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Court upholds damages award

The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court decision that excluded arguments and evidence from the Indiana Patient’s Compensation Fund relating to the survival rate of the decedent because their argument regarded liability, which had already been established through a settlement. In Jim Atterholt, Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Insurance as Administrator of the Indiana Patient’s Compensation Fund v. Geneva Herbst, personal representative of the estate of Jeffrey A. Herbst, No. 49A04-0702-CV-106, the Indiana Patient’s Compensation Fund appealed the grant…

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Justices ready for sex-offender registry issue

The Indiana Supreme Court will consider two cases this week asking whether convicted sex offenders can be required to register for life on a statewide database.The state’s highest appeals court will hear a combined argument Thursday in Todd L. Jensen v. State, No. 02A04-0706-CR-351, and Richard P. Wallace v. State, No. 49A02-0706-CR-498. Arguments are set to begin at 9:45 a.m. and can be viewed online through a webcast.Now, Jensen v. State and Wallace v. State have a combined case number of…

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COA travels to Terre Haute

An Indiana Court of Appeals panel of judges travels to Terre Haute Thursday for arguments in a robbery case out of Vanderburgh County.

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