Courts

After 17 years on the appellate bench, Judge John T. Sharpnack is retiring today from the Indiana Court of Appeals.Though he’s stepping down as a full-time jurist, Judge Sharpnack plans to continue his work as a senior judge starting Monday; he reaches the constitutionally mandated retirement age of 75 May 7.A 3 p.m. retirement ceremony was planned to mark his departure from the court, with Chief Judge John Baker presiding. Judge Sharpnack’s family, colleagues, former law clerks, and special guests were…

The chief judge on the Indiana Court of Appeals is calling a majority’s decision today a “radical act” in reversing a $45,000 jury verdict in favor of a former Butler University football player who was suspended from the school after being accused of raping a female volleyball player.In Susana Henri v. Stephen Curto, No. 49A02-0709-CV-777, Chief Judge John G. Baker disagreed with his two colleagues – authoring Judge Patricia Riley and Judge Margret Robb, who reversed the Marion County jury decision and…

The state’s highest court has agreed to hear a case involving $16 million of East Chicago riverboat casino revenues and whether a private business can shield its financial records from the public.The Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer Aug. 14 in Steve Carter v. East Chicago Second Century, et al., No. 49A02-0708-CV-722. The case concerns the attorney general’s request last year for a public accounting of money disbursed to Second Century from the state-licensed riverboat, which eventually became Harrah’s.In a March ruling,…

The Indiana Court of Appeals this week declined to take an interlocutory appeal on a case accusing the Archdiocese of Indianapolis of covering up an ex-priest’s history of sexual abuse.In denying the case of Archdiocese of Indianapolis, et al. v. John Doe NM, 49A05-0802-CV-00075, the court has given its go ahead for the Marion County civil suit to proceed to trial; it would be the first of 13 against the archdiocese to survive summary judgment. The suit was brought by a…

A week before Hoosier voters head to the polls, the nation’s highest court has upheld Indiana’s law requiring voters to show identification before casting a ballot. The Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision, this morning in the pair of consolidated Hoosier cases William Crawford, et al. v. Marion County Election Board, et al., No. 07-21, and Indiana Democratic Party, et al. v. Todd Rokita, No. 07-25. The decision rejected the constitutional challenge to the strictest voter ID law in…

Two men vying for Marion County’s top public defender spot will face public interviews next week before members of the county agency’s governing board decide which one will ultimately be recommended for the position.The Marion County Public Defender Agency’s board of directors declined to release names publicly until today. The board is searching for someone to succeed chief defender David E. Cook, who is leaving the agency for Indianapolis immigration firm Gresk & Singleton.Indianapolis defense attorneys Robert J. Hill Jr. and…