Reversal: Inmate may appeal despite belated notice
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the denial of an inmate’s permission to file a belated notice of appeal when it found he was an eligible defendant under to Post-Conviction Rule 2.
Indiana Court of Appeals
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COA affirms breach, fraud, unjust enrichment claims brought by bank
A bank that brought breach of contract, fraud and unjust enrichment claims against its loanee won each of those claims on appeal, but failed to state a claim that the loanee violated the “usual and customary practices” laid out in its participation agreement, according to a Friday opinion from the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Reversal: Bonded projects not ‘completed’ under language of agreement
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the grant of summary judgment in favor of an investment firm after it found that a series of bonded projects were not completed within the scope of the meaning of “completion” as set forth by an agreement between the litigants.
COA: Property purchaser not 3rd party beneficiary in tax sale contracts
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment to a government tax sale organizer after finding a real estate purchaser was not a third-party beneficiary of contracts made between the organizer and the county.
Jury award of $21M in drunk driving crash upheld
A Marion County jury’s award of more than $21 million to a passenger rendered paraplegic when an intoxicated friend crashed his truck after a night of drinking was upheld Friday by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Court of Appeals heads southeast to hear arguments
The Indiana Court of Appeals will head southeast next week to hear two oral arguments, starting with a wrongful death case.
Siblings’ trust agreement enforced in probate splits COA
The termination and division of a multi-generational trust containing more than 422 acres of land was affirmed Thursday by the Indiana Court of Appeals, which split on the question of whether a probate court could adjudicate a separate agreement between two heirs.
Instruction on second trial stage in gun case not prejudicial
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a man’s serious violent felon conviction when it found the trial court did not commit fundamental error by instructing a jury that there might be a second phase to his case.
Reversal: Claim of 165 texts in 24 hours doesn’t prove stalking
The Indiana Court of Appeals revoked a man’s protective order against the mother of his child when it found that her excessive messaging in a 24-hour period did not constitute stalking.
COA: Admission of interview video harmless in firearm conviction
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the firearm conviction and sentence of a man when it found the admission of a nearly incomprehensible interview video was, at most, harmless in his case.
COA heading northwest, southwest for oral arguments
The Indiana Court of Appeals will head northwest to start off a full week of oral arguments in Newton and Tippecanoe counties, ending its trip down south in Daviess and Gibson counties.
COA: Lawyer’s $3.4M fee wrongly applied in child support
A trial court miscalculated the impact of a Merrillville lawyer’s $3.4 million legal fee in a personal injury case on his child support obligation, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Med-mal judgment for insurers against hospital reversed
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the grant of summary judgment for two insurance companies when it found they were estopped from denying the applicability of the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act to their claims.
COA sends houseboat dispute to arbitration
A dispute between the purchasers and supplier of a Daviess County houseboat must go to arbitration after an Indiana appellate panel determined a trial court ruling did not overrule an arbitration clause signed by both parties.
Judgment affirmed for insurer uninformed of claims
A divided Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the grant of summary judgment to an insurance company after a client waited more than a decade to notify it had made payments in several suits brought against it.
COA upholds admission of evidence after warrantless car search
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld the admission of evidence found during the warrantless search of a convicted drug felon’s vehicle, finding the search did not violate the man’s state constitutional rights.
Passenger’s drug, gun convictions from traffic stop affirmed
A passenger convicted of drug and gun felonies after he briefly stepped out of a car when police pulled it over lost his appeal Thursday. The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed Gregory Wayne Parks’ convictions of Level 4 felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, Level 5 felony dealing in marijuana and two counts of Level 6 felony possession of a controlled substance.
Appeals court rejects judge’s civil commitment as court business record
The Marion County probate judge’s method of opening new cases to approve all of the mental health civil commitment recommendations of magistrate judges and commissioners during a given period of time was rejected Thursday by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
DCS criticized for lax notice, but mom’s termination affirmed
The Indiana Court of Appeals reprimanded the Indiana Department of Child Services on Wednesday for failing to comply with notice requirements, while also affirming a mother’s termination of parental-child relationship for her failure to communicate with DCS.
Habitual offender enhancement vacated for failure to inform
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a man’s habitual-offender finding and sentence when it found his previous jury-trial waiver was not made with sufficient awareness of the relevant circumstances, and therefore did not apply to the later-filed habitual-offender enhancement.