Governor names Pyle’s trial court replacement
Gov. Mitch Daniels has appointed Angela Warner Sims as judge of Madison Circuit Court. She succeeds Judge Rudolph Pyle III, who was appointed in August to the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Indiana Court of Appeals
Articles
Estate lawyers’ duty of responsibility clarified in proposed legislation
Estate attorneys are hoping the Indiana General Assembly will provide a remedy after a ruling by the Indiana Court of Appeals muddied the waters concerning the scope and duties of a lawyer working on behalf of an estate’s personal representative.
Indiana sex offender parole conditions at issue
Indiana appellate judges are grappling with sensitive questions about whether the state’s automatic and uniform parole conditions for sex offenders are constitutional.
Appeals court to hear Star appeal on identifying online commenter
The Indiana Court of Appeals has blocked a court order requiring The Indianapolis Star to disclose the name of an online commenter and will hear further arguments on the matter Tuesday morning.
Trial that OK’d Jasper energy plant conversion error-filled
A judge who ruled against opponents of the conversion of a former coal-fired energy plant in Jasper abused her discretion on a series of matters, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Monday in reversing a bench trial that found for the city.
Legislature intended to make failure to report child abuse a continuing offense
A high school coach’s failure to report child abuse is a continuing offense to which the statute of limitations does not apply, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
COA finds trust that bought foreclosed home gained insurance equity
An estate that purchased a foreclosed house at a sheriff’s sale established an equitable lien through which it was entitled to collect proceeds in the event of an insured loss, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Kohl’s loses appeal vs. developer, county over Evansville store
A department store chain failed to persuade the Indiana Court of Appeals to reverse a trial court’s dismissal of a lawsuit it filed against a developer and two public Vanderburgh County entities.
Off-duty police officer’s stop and frisk violated Fourth Amendment
The stop, search and subsequent discovery of drugs violated the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches even though the police officer was off duty at the time of the incident, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Court affirms termination of parental rights for drug-using mom, dad
A mother who used methamphetamine while pregnant and continued to abuse drugs after her children were judged in need of services was properly denied parental rights, as was the children’s often-absent father, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
Appeals court rules wrong state law applied in truck crash, but result is same
A trial court erroneously applied Georgia law in a lawsuit brought by a truck driver injured in a collision in West Virginia, but correctly applied Indiana law yielded the same result, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
COA finds plea agreement was not circumvented by admission of uncharged conduct at sentencing
A convicted child molester’s argument that the trial court abused its discretion by admitting during sentencing the testimony of two other alleged victims was rejected by the Indiana Court of Appeals. The court described the appellant’s contention as “pure conjecture supported by nothing in the record.”
Divided COA allows suit after wage claim fails at Department of Labor
A worker who left employment at a Columbus construction company may pursue his wage claim in court after his complaint had been assigned to the Indiana Department of Labor, a divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
Justices: COA overreached on reversing trial court custody ruling
The Court of Appeals got it wrong when it reversed a trial court custody modification in favor of a child’s father, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in one of the first opinions joined by Justice Loretta Rush.
COA to hear challenge to sex offender monitoring program
An Allen County man’s argument that the state’s Sex Offender Management and Monitoring Program is unconstitutional will be heard Tuesday by a panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Appeals court finds for insurer in worker’s comp case where victim’s mother died
The mother of an injured worker whose estate claims she died due to emotional distress caused by an insurer’s handling of her son’s case cannot directly sue the insurer before exhausting the regulatory process, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Man not required to register in Indiana for Illinois crime
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled it’s a violation of the ex post facto provision of the state’s constitution to require a man who committed a sex crime in Illinois, but now lives in Indiana, to register in Indiana because the laws requiring him to register in both states were enacted after he committed the crime in Illinois.
Ex-employee wins appeal and prejudgment interest
A former employee is entitled to commissions owed to him after he left a real estate company, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed Wednesday. The judges also found the ex-employee is entitled to prejudgment interest.
Judges order trial on couple’s responsibility to unpaid subcontractors
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a decision by a DeKalb Superior judge that Fred and Mary Anna Feitler were personally liable for unpaid bills to subcontractors on their home, which was being constructed on land owned by a trust to which they were sole beneficiaries.
All appellate judges on the ballot retained by voters
Collecting more than a million “yes” votes each, Indiana Justices Steven David and Robert Rucker have been retained in office. David faced opposition from some who disagreed with the majority opinion he authored regarding unlawful police entry into homes.