Rush County fireman, special deputy charged with child sex crimes
A Rush County law enforcement official who works with the sheriff’s department and Rushville Fire Department has been charged with sex crimes against children.
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Federal court blocks Indiana law banning smokable hemp
Indiana’s law criminalizing smokable hemp has been snuffed out, at least temporarily, by a federal court, which found the proponents of hemp made convincing arguments that the federal farm bill of 2018, expanding the definition of hemp and removing the plant from the federal schedule of controlled substances, pre-empted the state statute.
Pittsboro must pay officer more than $70K after wiretapping verdict
A Pittsboro law enforcement officer who won a $15,000 damages award on a claim that police officials were illegally recording his conversations has also been awarded more than $70,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs.
Judicial Conference doubles PACER fee waiver, adopts model workplace dispute resolution plan
The United States Judicial Conference has doubled the quarterly fee waiver for PACER users, a move the courts say will result in more than 75% of users paying no fees in a given quarter.
Ex-official pleads guilty in Gary convention center embezzlement
A former official has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $12,000 from the financially troubled Genesis Convention Center in northwestern Indiana.
Indiana courts among busiest for employment filings
In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, busy dockets are common across all case types. Recent data confirmed that trend specifically with respect to employment law, finding the Indianapolis-based courts are among the busiest in employment litigation for all of the Midwest.
Undocumented immigrant sentenced in drunk driving crash that killed Colts player
The undocumented immigrant charged in connection with the February 2018 crash that killed Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson has been sentenced to 3½ years in federal prison.
Southern District finds ‘immediate need’ to remove, amend death penalty rule
The Indiana Southern District Court determined there was an immediate need to delete Local Criminal Rule 6-1 – Petitions Under 28 U.S.C. Section 2254 or 2255 in Cases Involving a Sentence of Capital Punishment, according to a Monday notice. In response, the rule was replaced with the adoption of Local Criminal Rule 38-2 – Cases Challenging the Conviction and/or Sentence Where a Sentence of Death Has Been Imposed.
Supreme Court allows broad enforcement of Trump asylum rule
The Supreme Court of the United States is allowing nationwide enforcement of a new Trump administration rule that prevents most Central American migrants from seeking asylum in the United States.
Ex-Brinks driver pleads guilty to Hammond armored truck robbery
A Chicago man has pleaded guilty of an armored truck robbery in northwestern Indiana that netted several suspects more than $600,000 in cash.
DCS seeks to keep records sealed in class-action care suit
Lawyers for Indiana’s Department of Child Services are pushing to seal records in a federal class action lawsuit accusing the child welfare agency of inadequately protecting thousands of children in its care.
Judge tosses shareholder suit in Vectren merger
A federal judge has turned away a shareholder lawsuit over a major Indiana utility’s 2018 merger with a Texas-based public utility holding company, using a back-to-school analogy to reason his dismissal of the litigation.
Fired Elkhart city attorney fails to overcome appointee determination
A former Elkhart city attorney who was told she was being fired because the new mayor wanted “to hire my own guy” could not overcome the precedent the Northern Indiana District Court used to determine she was an appointed policymaker and therefore not covered by federal protections.
Man convicted of selling historic bridge for scrap gets prison
A northwestern Indiana scrap-metal dealer convicted of razing a historic railroad bridge and selling the metal has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Ex-Brownsburg attorney gets 30-month sentence for tax evasion
A former Brownsburg attorney who pleaded guilty to tax evasion earlier this year will spend 2½ years in prison and owes more than $2.4 million to the Internal Revenue Service.
Terre Haute parks volunteer awarded damages after ‘horrific’ sexual assault
A former Terre Haute parks employee who was convicted of a “horrific” sexual assault on a parks volunteer must pay his victim more than $1.5 million in damages plus attorney fees, a federal judge has ruled.
General Assembly: Indiana isn’t ‘employer’ in groping suit against Hill
The Indiana House and Senate are doubling down on their argument that Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill cannot adequately represent their interests against discrimination and retaliation allegations brought by three legislative staffers against Hill and the state. In new court filings, the two legislative bodies say they are the entities that are legally considered the women’s employers, so they alone have the right to defend their sexual harassment prevention and response policies against the harassment allegations.
Family of Carmel teen sues Juul, calling e-cigarettes addictive, dangerous
A Carmel family is suing Juul Labs Inc., saying the company’s e-cigarettes contain excessively high amounts of nicotine and do not include warnings that the products can become addictive.
Woman freed after murder conviction vacated in 2001 slaying
An Indiana woman who successfully argued she had ineffective legal counsel at her murder trial for the 2001 slaying of her boyfriend in Lafayette during a sex game has been released.
7th Circuit blocks Indiana voter purge law
A federal appeals court has confirmed that Indiana’s attempt to cleanse its voter rolls by using the controversial Crosscheck database violates the National Voter Registration Act. The ruling upholds a lower court ruling in a suit brought by a national public-interest group.