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Parents of autistic children gird for showdown with Anthem
A showdown is brewing over autism therapy in Indiana. After an Elkhart couple with an autistic son sued Indianapolis-based health insurer Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in April, autism families around the state have started a campaign to get Anthem to change its policy for covering therapy for school-age children.
Mediation Assistance Program appoints counsel to help litigants settle cases
The program, started in 2009, matches attorney volunteers with pro se litigants as they enter settlement talks. In its inaugural year, MAP appointed legal counsel to two settlement conferences. By 2013, MAP attorneys assisted in 43 conferences.
3 brothers plead guilty to massive biofuels scam
Three brothers have pleaded guilty to participating in a biofuels scam that federal investigators are calling “one of the largest tax and securities fraud schemes in Indiana history."
Ex-Valpo attorney pleads guilty to wire fraud, money laundering
Former Valparaiso lawyer Clark Holesinger will plead guilty to federal wire fraud and money-laundering charges accusing him of stealing $2 million, according to an information announced Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
Dearborn County judges headed to trial on discrimination claims
Two judges and a magistrate judge in Dearborn County appear headed to trial in federal court on a discrimination claim arising from their decision not to provide a sign language interpreter for a courtroom spectator.
Judge delays decision on NCAA concussion settlement
A U.S. judge has declined to immediately approve the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s $75 million settlement of a lawsuit by college athletes who’ve suffered head injuries, giving a critic of the accord three weeks to file arguments opposing the revamped deal.
Racial retaliation claim against mover proceeds to trial
A moving company that allegedly permitted an environment of open racial hostility toward two African-American employees must face a jury on a complaint alleging discriminatory retaliation, a federal judge has ruled.
Federal court rejects Dearborn judges’ immunity defense
A deaf man’s discrimination lawsuit against three judges in Dearborn County can proceed according to a March 30 ruling in federal court.
Judge rejects diocese’s bid to set aside in vitro verdict
A jury was correct in finding that a Roman Catholic diocese discriminated against a former teacher by firing her for undergoing fertilization treatment, a federal judge has ruled.
Federal judge fines abusive filer $1,200, bars future suits
A man who’s filed nearly four dozen lawsuits against defendants from “Bobby” to President Barack Obama lost his federal court privileges this week.
Courts closed in southern Indiana due to weather
Severe weather and emergency travel restrictions have closed several federal courts in southern Indiana. The Evansville and New Albany offices of the U.S. District and Bankruptcy courts for the Southern District of Indiana are closed Thursday. The Clark County Government Building, which houses the Circuit courts, is also closed.
Patients sue Lilly, claim Cymbalta withdrawal hazards
Two federal lawsuits filed in Indianapolis allege Eli Lilly’s top-selling antidepressant Cymbalta caused almost immediate dangerous withdrawal symptoms when patients attempted to stop using the medication.
Indy Land Bank trial could turn on government wiretaps
Reginald T. Walton is guilty of "very poor judgment" and "ethics violations," and also "did a pretty good job concealing" his involvement in private real estate partnerships during his tenure leading the Indy Land Bank, but he's not guilty of any crime, his attorney argued in federal court Wednesday.
Chronic litigator’s suit seeking $3 trillion tossed with warning
A federal judge has had about enough from a litigant who has brought so many frivolous lawsuits that he may be barred from filing future complaints.
Professor says verdict highlights need for Congress to revisit terrorism law
A historic $218.5 million verdict handed down Feb. 23 against Palestinian organizations for a series of terrorist attacks that killed or injured several U.S. citizens could bring unintended consequences and should cause Congress to reexamine federal terrorism statutes, according to a prominent Indiana legal scholar.
Amended complaint: Marion County inmates held days after release ordered
Released inmates in Indianapolis are subjected to a “standard operating procedure” of re-arrest and being held behind bars – sometimes for days – after being acquitted, freed by a judge or posting bond, alleges an amended federal complaint filed against the Marion County Sheriff’s Department.
Federal judge stalls Obama’s executive action on immigration
A federal judge in South Texas has temporarily blocked President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration, giving a coalition of 26 states time to pursue a lawsuit that aims to permanently stop the orders.
Indiana same-sex couple files suit to get both names listed on birth certificate
A married lesbian couple filed a complaint in federal court charging Indiana is violating their constitutional rights by not listing both their names on their child’s birth certificate.
Southern District applauds work of attorney volunteers
The 61 Indiana attorneys who provided pro bono hours in the Southern District of Indiana last year were recognized Thursday for their efforts during the second annual Pro Bono Appreciation Breakfast.