Elkhart denies wrongful conviction amid Cooper lawsuit
A northern Indiana city is maintaining the guilt of a Chicago man convicted in a 1996 shooting after the man filed a lawsuit following his pardon.
District Courts
Articles
IMPD excessive force claim proceeds to trial
The City of Indianapolis has lost its summary judgment argument on an excessive force claim after a district court judge determined genuine issues of material fact exist as to whether the city’s policies led two police officers to use excessive force against a veteran.
Workplace rights lawyers racing against shifting legal landscape
While employers across America paid a record amount in settlements for workplace violations last year, don’t expect it to be the beginning of a trend. Think of it more as the storm before the calm, as labor lawyers rush to lock in payouts ahead of a shifting legal landscape.
Federal courts create workplace conduct committee
On the heels of a call from the U.S. Supreme Court to review the judiciary’s sexual harassment response policies, the U.S. Courts Administrative Office has established a working group to review the safeguards in place for protecting court employees from inappropriate workplace conduct.
Sweeney shows respect, humor at nomination hearing
James Sweeney II, nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, practically breezed through his nomination hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Wednesday.
In big-cat fight, judge scratches defamation counterclaim against PETA
A lawsuit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals against what it terms “an unaccredited roadside zoo” near Charlestown is proceeding after a judge dismissed the owners’ counterclaim that the nonprofit had defamed them in its complaint.
Judge blocks Trump decision to end DACA immigration program
A federal judge on Tuesday night temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s decision to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation. U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted a request by California and other plaintiffs to prevent President Donald Trump from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program while their lawsuits play out in court.
Southern Indiana District Court nominee scheduled for hearing
James R. Sweeney II, the nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, is scheduled to appear before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary tomorrow.
Nearly a dozen Indiana communities sue opioid industry in new flurry of suits
Nearly a dozen Indiana cities and counties have filed lawsuits in recent days against opioid makers and distributors, claiming the companies have flooded their communities with the addictive painkillers and engaged in deceptive marketing campaigns that helped lead to a growing crisis.
More Indiana communities sue drug companies over opioids
Several more Indiana communities have joined the growing list of governments suing pharmaceutical companies and distributors over their roles in the opioid abuse crisis.
Southern Indiana gets new prosecutor focused on violence
The U.S. Justice Department says the federal Southern District of Indiana will receive an additional assistant U.S. attorney to focus exclusively on violent crime.
Huntington chief deputy prosecutor appointed to Circuit Court bench
The Huntington County chief deputy prosecutor will soon transition to a judicial role on the Circuit Court bench.
Bankruptcy court amendment protects against misuse of filing fee
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana has amended language governing the payment of filing fees to the court, a change prompted by recent concerns about attorneys using clients’ filing fee payments for other purposes.
Ruling: Lids store managers may proceed with pay class-action
Indianapolis-based Lids store managers who claim they were denied overtime pay in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act cleared the first hurdle Tuesday in a proposed class-action lawsuit.
Hamilton to lead 7th Circuit review of harassment policies
Judge David Hamilton of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has been appointed to chair a committee to review policies for reporting and handling harassment within the federal jurisdiction.
Chief Justice Roberts addresses sexual harassment in judiciary
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts used his end-of-the-year report to highlight the “new challenge” of sexual harassment coming in 2018.
Judge: Kentucky lawyer who fled must forfeit bond
A federal judge in Lexington, Kentucky has ruled that a lawyer in that state who went on the run in a more than $500 million Social Security fraud case must forfeit property put up for bond.
Government seeks change to order lifting Trump refugee ban
Lawyers with the Department of Justice have asked a federal judge to change his order that partially lifted a Trump administration refugee ban.
Two ex-nursing home execs to plead guilty in kickback scheme
Two former executives with a company that operates dozens of Indiana nursing homes have agreed to plead guilty in a kickback scheme involving millions of dollars. Court documents unsealed this week show that former American Senior Communities CEO James Burkhart and former Chief Operating Officer Daniel Benson, both 52, have reached plea deals.
IU wins after sued by fired director accused of sexual harassment
A district court judge has granted summary judgment to Indiana University’s School of Dentistry and high-ranking members of its faculty after finding the school did not violate a former clinic director’s rights by firing him for alleged sexual harassment of students.