Lake Co. dad gets new trial after potential landlord denies rental because of kids
A new trial has been ordered for a Lake County father who was refused a rental home after telling the owner that he had children.
Discrimination
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Man pleads guilty to 4 Asian spa killings, sentenced to life
A man accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses pleaded guilty Tuesday to four of the murders and was handed four sentences of life without parole.
7th Circuit says Archdiocese premature in seeking dismissal of Roncalli counselor case
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed an appeal in the lawsuit brought by former Roncalli High School counselor Lynn Starkey, saying the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ turn to the appellate court was premature.
7th Circuit ruling expands ministerial exception, potentially impacting Indiana high school cases
Shelly Fitzgerald and Lynn Starkey, former guidance counselors at Roncalli High School, and Joshua Payne-Elliott, a former foreign language and social studies teacher at Cathedral High School, all filed separate lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis after they were all terminated from their jobs because they are in same-sex marriages. This month’s decision from the 7th Circuit in Demkovich v. St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, 19-2142, could change the trajectory of each of those cases.
Ex-music teacher who refused to follow Brownsburg Schools’ transgender name policy loses on religious discrimination claims
A former Brownsburg music teacher who resigned after refusing to abide by a school policy on how to address transgender students has lost his bid for partial summary judge on his religious discrimination claims against the school district.
Justices turn away florist who refused same-sex wedding job
The Supreme Court on Friday declined to take up the case of a florist who refused to provide services for a same-sex wedding, leaving in place a decision that she broke state anti-discrimination laws.
Former Eli Lilly lobbyist drops sex discrimination lawsuit
A former Washington, D.C., lobbyist for Eli Lilly and Co. has dropped her complaint against the Indianapolis-based drugmaker, in which she had claimed a top executive made sexist comments about her, mocked her physical appearance and subjected her and other women to a hostile work environment.
Judge rejects Chauvin’s request for new trial in Floyd death
A judge has rejected former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin’s request for a new trial in George Floyd’s death.
Chauvin could face decadeslong sentence in Floyd’s death
Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin learns his sentence Friday for murder in George Floyd’s death, closing a chapter in a case that sparked global outrage and a reckoning on racial disparities in America.
Geologist loses second wrongful-termination lawsuit against INDOT
A geologist who tried to detour around the summary judgment granted to the Indiana Department of Transportation in his wrongful-termination lawsuit was blocked by 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which found he was trying to take a road he had already traveled.
Baker fined for refusing to make transgender transition cake
A Colorado baker who won a partial victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a birthday cake for a transgender woman, a state judge has ruled.
Young: Critical race theory: Comprehensive change for more Americans
Ahmed Young discusses critical race theory and how he sees it as a tool to benefit more Americans.
High court won’t review men-only draft registration law
The Supreme Court said Monday that for now it’ll be up to Congress, not the court, to decide whether to change the requirement that only men must register for the draft. It’s one of the few areas of federal law where men and women are still treated differently.
High court asked to review men-only draft registration law
The Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether it’s sex discrimination for the government to require only men to register for the draft when they turn 18.
Ashley HomeStore settles employment-rights case with Indiana guardsman
Ashley HomeStore has agreed to pay an Indiana Army National guardsman $6,000 after he alleged he was fired from the store’s Greenwood location after returning from active duty.
Fired Cathedral teacher appeals dismissal of his lawsuit against archdiocese
Joshua Payne-Elliott, a foreign language and social studies teacher, sued the archdiocese after his contract with Cathedral was terminated in June 2019.
Supreme Court won’t hear case involving the N-word
The Supreme Court is declining to hear a case that would have let the justices decide whether a single use of the N-word in the workplace can create a hostile work environment.
Justices consider hearing a case on ‘most offensive word’
In a case focusing on elevator graffiti, Robert Collier is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether a single use of the N-word in the workplace can create a hostile work environment, giving an employee the ability to pursue a case under Title VII of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Suit challenges priority of federal restaurant aid for women, minorities
A conservative legal outfit claims the prioritization of restaurants and bars owned by women and certain minorities is pushing white men “to the back of the line” for aid for their eateries.
Fired Cathedral teacher’s suit against archdiocese over same-sex marriage dismissed
In a one-page order, Marion Superior Special Judge Lance Hamner did what a previous special judge and the Indiana Supreme Court had not done – dismiss the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a gay teacher against the archdiocese of Indianapolis.