Soshnick: The mystery of rehabilitative maintenance in Indiana
Until Indiana rehabilitative maintenance law is refined, the underuse, misapplication and perplexing nature of that statute is almost certain to continue with no end in sight.
Family Law
Articles
Innovation Initiative’s Family Law Taskforce submits recommendations to Supreme Court
With an ultimate goal of improving access to justice in family law cases, the Family Law Taskforce of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Innovation Initiative nailed down more than a dozen recommendations, with five being considered “essential for reform.” Now, that final report is headed to the Indiana justices.
Advance Child Tax Credit fueling family law fights
On July 15, the federal government began giving parents advancements on their 2021 Child Tax Credit. For some divorced parents, the advance is causing confusion and fueling conflicts about who is entitled to the money.
Fort Wayne attorney named Allen Co. family relations magistrate
A Fort Wayne family law practitioner will join the judiciary next month as the newest magistrate judge of the Allen Superior Court Family Relations Division.
High court sides with Catholic agency in foster care dispute
The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously sided with a Catholic foster care agency that says its religious views prevent it from working with same-sex couples as foster parents. The justices said the city of Philadelphia wrongly limited its relationship with the group as a result of the agency’s policy.
COA affirms $15K attorney fee award in parents’ custody dispute
An order awarding $15,000 in attorney fees to a mother after her ex-husband sought to modify custody and child support will stand, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled. It found the fees weren’t barred by res judicata or the law of the case doctrine.
IndyBar: One Good Thing from the Past Year: We Slowed Down
A lot has changed in both our professional and personal lives since March of 2020, but not all of them have been bad.
Eastern Indiana woman gets 55 years in slaying of child’s father
A judge sentenced an eastern Indiana woman to 55 years in prison Tuesday after a jury convicted her of murder in the shooting death of her child’s father.
Kids’ Voice formalizes $5.4 million CASA/GAL contract with Indianapolis
Kids’ Voice of Indiana has signed a contract with the city of Indianapolis to provide guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate services to Marion Superior Courts through the end of 2023, with the nonprofit set to receive $5.4 million for the remainder of 2021.
Angola lawyer reprimanded for not telling opposing counsel about deposition
An Angola lawyer who failed to inform a litigant’s lawyers that the litigant was asked to sit for a deposition has been publicly reprimanded by the Indiana Supreme Court.
Evansville attorney helps women engage in community through virtual nonprofit
Fulfilling a lifelong dream can be daunting, even unattainable. It can take years before someone takes steps toward fulfilling a goal set for themselves. But a young Evansville attorney is breaking walls and building new dreams daily, balancing both a legal practice and a female-focused not-for-profit organization.
Kids’ Voice taking over GAL/CASA services after Child Advocates walks
Kids’ Voice of Indiana will be the sole operator of the guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate programs for Marion County juvenile courts after Child Advocates, which had provided those services for decades, rejected the subcontract agreement the two organizations had been negotiating.
Calls to Indiana child abuse hotline down during pandemic
Calls to Indiana’s child abuse and neglect hotline fell by more than 10% last year compared to the previous two years, and an expert said that may reflect the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kids’ Voice, Child Advocates in contract talks after report cited cost overruns
With just three weeks before its contract with the city of Indianapolis ends, Child Advocates is trying to negotiate a subcontract with Kids’ Voice so it can continue providing volunteers and staff to advocate for youngsters in Indiana’s child welfare system. Meanwhile, a report questioned longtime contractor Child Advocates’ cost overruns.
LaPorte County apartment accused of violating fair housing acts
The Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana has filed a complaint in federal court against a Michigan City apartment complex, claiming the “discriminatory practices” of the residential provider deprived a Hoosier family of a place to live.
COA upholds judgment for teens’ doctors on parents’ constitutional claims
Tipton County parents who alleged their children were unconstitutionally treated by doctors while in a grandmother’s care failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that summary judgment for the doctors was inappropriate.
Marion County switches CASA contract from Child Advocates to Kids’ Voice
Kids’ Voice of Indiana, a nonprofit serving children and families, will take over the training and operation of the court-appointed special advocate program in Marion County courts May 1 after the city of Indianapolis switched the contract for the services from Child Advocates.
Proposed parenting time revisions open for comments
The Domestic Relations Committee of the Indiana Judicial Conference is seeking feedback on proposed changes to Indiana’s Parenting Time Guidelines, including new guidelines on the concept of “shared parenting.”
Fighting for love: Immigration attorneys say challenges for unmarried couples rise amid COVID
Immigration attorneys say international couples attempting to reunite during the pandemic are feeling desperate as borders between countries are closed to foreigners and backlogs continue to mount.
Start Page: Digital evidence pilot program clears preflight checklist
The Hamilton County courts have been piloting, in select family law cases, a program for the online submission of trial exhibits through a website called CaseLines, part of Thomson Reuters. Attorneys and their teams can log in to a website, upload their digital exhibits for a hearing and the participants have access to those files for the hearing. The website is one place where the exhibits are stored and all participants can access at the hearing.