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State Supreme Court rules in favor of power company insurers

The Indiana Supreme Court said today that insurance carriers are not required to pay for power companies’ costs incurred in a federal lawsuit, nor the installation of new equipment to reduce pollution as ordered in a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States. In Cinergy Corp and Duke Energy v. Associated Electric & Gas Insurance Services, et al., 32S05-0604-CV-151, the state’s highest court issued a 17-page unanimous opinion affirming a decision by Hendricks Superior Judge David H. Coleman. The…

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Judicial Conference: Southern District needs judge

A new permanent federal judgeship is needed in Indiana ;s Southern District of the U.S. District Court, according to the Judicial Conference of the United States.The federal judicial policymaking group voted Tuesday to ask Congress to create 67 new federal judgeships – 15 for the Circuit courts and 52 for the District courts. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago isn ;t being considered for an increase, but a new judicial officer in the Southern District division would add one…

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Case remanded on double jeopardy clause

The Court of Appeals has reversed and remanded a man’s conviction on two counts based on a violation of state and federal prohibitions against double jeopardy. In Scott D. Moore v. State, Moore appealed his convictions of possession of anhydrous ammonia and possession of reagents or precursors, contending they are lesser-included offenses of the Count I of dealing in methamphetamine. In July 2006, William Cashin and Moore went to Miles Farm Center, where Moore brought out a pitcher containing a fuming substance…

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Supreme Court: Be careful about reweighing evidence on appeal

Indiana’s top jurists today issued a cautionary note to the state’s Court of Appeals: that reweighing evidence in cases isn’t the norm for appellate courts and could mean reversal if that happens.That message came in the form of a unanimous seven-page opinion authored by Chief Justice Randall Shepard, involving the case Ronnie Drane v. State of Indiana, 45S04-0611-CR-477. The Indiana Court of Appeals reweighed evidence in a Lake County rape and murder bench trial and, as a result, the justices have…

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High court clarifies sentencing requirement

The Indiana Supreme Court ruled today that a defendant who was sentenced to death in 1982 cannot receive life without parole during his second re-sentencing hearing despite being re-sentenced under the post-2002 death penalty statute.In State of Indiana v. Zolo Agona Azania, 02S03-0505-PD-364, Azania killed a Gary police lieutenant in 1981 and was sentenced to death in 1982. He was re-sentenced to death in 1996. His conviction stands, but his death sentence has been overturned twice. In the instant case, the state…

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7th Circuit hears arguments on judicial free speech

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Friday morning in a case in which the state’s Commission on Judicial Qualifications and Disciplinary Commission want the court to reverse the District Court’s ruling that granted a permanent injunction against provisions in Indiana’s Code of Judicial Conduct.

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Judge hears evidence in nerve gas suit

Attorneys are presenting their cases in the U.S. District Court’s Southern District in Indianapolis today on whether the Army and Department of Defense are violating federal environmental laws in shipping the potentially deadly VX nerve gas from Indiana to Texas.Chief Judge Larry McKinney began the evidentiary hearing at 1:30 p.m. and has allocated up to three days for the proceeding. Four environmental and activist groups and five citizens, including two Hoosiers, filed a suit in May against the government to permanently…

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New Indy Law dean speaks at ACLU-IN event

A number of ACLU of Indiana attorneys and supporters attended a reception for Gary Roberts, the new dean of the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis on Thursday afternoon at Baker & Daniels.The dean, who was also the keynote speaker, mingled with the attorneys before and after discussing a few of his experiences as deputy dean for Tulane University Law School in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and subsequent flooding, pending sports law cases, and how he plans to encourage…

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SCOTUS blocks execution

The Supreme Court of the United States decided today that a Texas man is considered mentally ill and should not be put to death.With that much-anticipated decision, Indiana’s top jurists will now use that case to decide the fate of a New Albany man convicted of shooting a state trooper in 1993.In January, the Indiana Supreme Court halted the execution of Norman Timberlake to await word from the nation’s highest court on the similar case from Texas. Our justices disagreed on…

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Court upholds home developer’s liability

The Court of Appeals upheld the trial court judgment in favor of homeowners against the developer of their neighborhood, affirming the developer is liable for misleading the homeowners as to what type of homes would be built in the new neighborhood. In Robert K. Yeager, et al. v. David A. McManama, et al., 49A02-0607-CV-614, the Yeagers, sole members and owners of Yeager Realty, the developer, planned to build Emerald Highlands in the residential neighborhood Murphy’s Landing. The developer executed and recorded the…

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S.C. grants transfer on plea agreement issue

The Indiana Supreme Court will decide in a case of first impression whether a criminal defendant can waive the right to appeal in a plea agreement. The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled on this issue twice this year and decided defendants can waive the right to a direct appeal of a sentence.The Supreme Court granted transfer Thursday for Timothy Ray Creech v. State of Indiana (NFP), 35A02-0612-CR-1140. Creech pleaded guilty to child molestation and later appealed his six-year sentence. During his guilty…

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Attorney criticized for poor brief

The Indiana Court of Appeals dismissed a defendant’s appeal because of the numerous errors committed by her attorney in the brief. In Ashley N. Galvan v. State of Indiana, No. 35A02-0706-CR-495, Judge Ezra Friedlander spent the majority of the opinion blasting Galvan’s attorney, John Clifton of Fort Wayne, for failing to follow appellate rules in filing the brief. Galvan, who took a plea agreement, was appealing her sentence of one and a half years for possession of cocaine with all but…

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Justices rule in favor of county

Elkhart County is immune from losses resulting from temporary weather-related road conditions in 2001, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled today.The 4-1 decision came in Marvin Hochstetler v. Elkhart Co. Highway Dept., et al., 20S05-0703-CV-97, a case it heard arguments in May 10. The case involved a motorcycle driver, Hochstetler, who struck a fallen tree on a county road after a storm and sued the county departments and officials for negligence. The Elkhart Superior Court entered summary judgment in favor of the…

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Supreme Court sets execution date

The Indiana Supreme Court has set the execution date for a death row inmate whose requests for successive post-conviction proceedings were denied Monday.David Leon Woods is set for execution by injection before sunrise May 4. He is being put to death for the stabbing of an elderly DeKalb County man during a robbery in 1984.A Boone County jury convicted Woods of murder and robbery in the 1980s. He was found guilty of the murder of 77-year-old Juan Placenia, who was an…

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New jobs to get case management system running

Five new positions with the Indiana Supreme Court have been created to help kick-start a statewide case management system.The court ;s Judicial Technology and Automation Committee has posted the five openings and is accepting applications until March 30 for staff attorney, configuration and modification analyst, software quality assurance (SQA) lead analyst, court reporter SME, and a training and help desk specialist.Each position is dedicated to designing, developing, and implementing the largest technology project in the history of Indiana courts, according to…

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Attorneys cannot agree to settlements for clients

The fact a party authorizes an attorney to enter settlement negotiations and knows the negotiations are occurring does not mean that the attorney has authority to approve a settlement, according to a ruling today by the Indiana Court of Appeals. In Carol and David Bay v. Michael Pulliam and Cardinal Transportation, LLC, 49A05-0612-CV-704, the Court of Appeals reversed a Marion Superior Court decision that granted a motion to enforce settlement agreement in favor of Pulliam and Cardinal Transportation. At issue was whether…

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Indiana Judicial Center: test validators needed

The Indiana Judicial Center is notifying the legal community that August is the time to apply to help validate a new written test for the Court Substance Abuse Management Specialist credential.A public notice Wednesday set an Aug. 30 deadline for contractors to apply for consideration for this contracting opportunity. A credential is needed for anyone wanting to work for a court-administered alcohol or drug program, and the test gauges substance abuse knowledge.The application and procedure can be found online at http://www.in.gov/judiciary/notices/docs/ijc-pnco-080107.pdf….

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Court rules checkpoint unconstitutional

Indiana police officers are not allowed to target specific people when setting up roadblocks and checkpoints, ruled the Indiana Court of Appeals. The court overturned a trial court’s denial of the defendant’s motion to suppress evidence from two police roadblocks created after breaking up a party. In Kenneth Scott King v. State of Indiana, No. 58A01-0704-CR-159, King was at a party to which the police were called. After breaking up the party, police set up two checkpoints to search for impaired drivers…

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Court administrator selection nears

Marion County judges are close to deciding who the next court administrator will be, according to presiding Superior Judge Gerald Zore. The four-judge executive committee received about 20 applications for the position and have interviewed five in recent weeks, Judge Zore said. The judges have narrowed the choice to a final applicant and Judge Zore said this morning an offer could be presented as soon as today. The person chosen would likely start in early July, he said. The executive…

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Howard County Courthouse to get new security

Two decades after a bomb exploded in the Howard County Courthouse, new security measures are being implemented.County commissioners earlier this week passed new security rules requiring photo identification badges for employees, and metal detectors and X-ray machines at the public entrance. This comes after a decision last fall to use $29,295 of homeland security money for the upgrades and security officers. Certain visitors, including attorneys, can obtain a frequent visitor pass for $50 that allows them to bypass the detectors.Workers will…

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