Articles

Majority upholds violent sexual predator finding

An Indiana Court of Appeals panel disagreed as to whether the failure of a defendant’s counsel to press for the statutory
requirement for a hearing on a sexually violent predator finding was a procedural default that waived the appellate court’s
consideration of the issue.

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Judges affirm juvenile placement in DOC

The Indiana Court of Appeals was sympathetic to a teen’s request to not be placed in the Department of Correction, but
it noted that all other remedies for his rehabilitation had been exhausted in his home county.

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COA: Judge should have recused himself

The Indiana Court of Appeals agreed with a defendant that he received ineffective assistance of trial counsel because his
attorney should have filed a motion for change of judge. The sentencing judge had worked as a prosecutor in the early stages
of the defendant’s case 10 years earlier.

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Judges reverse, reinstate sex-offender conviction

The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a man’s conviction of failing to register as a sex offender based on a lack of
evidence showing the man had a connection to Indiana 90 days after his last registration. The appellate court did reinstate
a vacated conviction for failing to notify law enforcement of his move within 72 hours.

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Pro se defendant must be advised of rights

The requirement to advise a defendant of the dangers of self-representation and the benefit of counsel applies equally regardless
of whether a pro se defendant is choosing to plead guilty or go to trial, the Indiana Court of Appeals decided today.

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Court rules on sex offender status decisions

Tackling the issue of who determines whether a convicted sex offender is considered a “sexually violent predator,”
the Indiana Court of Appeals today issued the latest ruling in a line of cases about the state’s sex offender registry
and how convicts’ names are removed.

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Judges rule on child molesting statute of limitations

Addressing an issue that’s been litigated back and forth on appeal for more than 20 years, the Indiana Court of Appeals decided today that a statute of limitations on felony child molesting begins running once the actions stop and the victim is no longer being prevented from telling authorities.

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Judges disagree on case involving juror strikes

A Marion County deputy prosecutor’s striking of potential jurors has divided an Indiana Court of Appeals panel, with judges
disagreeing about whether it should second-guess a lower court’s finding that no racial discrimination was in play in striking
the African-American jurors.

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Legal process on mental illness isn’t yet where it should be

Courts nationally began in the mid-1990s to focus on mental illness and how the judiciary could fine-tune what it does to
better address that issue. But many within the Hoosier legal community say that the criminal justice system hasn’t gone far
enough in the past decade, and both the courts and society are a long way from where they need to be on addressing mental
illness.

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COA to hear arguments at IU-Indy

The Indiana Court of Appeals will hear arguments at an Indianapolis law school in a man's appeal of his convictions of resisting law enforcement and battery on a police officer. Judges Paul D. Mathias, Terry A. Crone, and Elaine B. Brown will hold arguments at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Wynne Moot Courtroom at Indiana […]

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Suit filed after statute of limitations end

The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment for a company that purchases and collects charged-off credit card debt, ruling the statute of limitations prevented the company from going after a delinquent consumer.

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COA upholds eviction action

A trial court properly treated a couple's action against the man who agreed to purchase a house from them
as an eviction, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded. The court also analyzed for the first time the nature and effect of
a pre-closing possession agreement like the one in the instant case.

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Appellate court upholds murder conviction

Although the trial court erred in finding a police officer was a skilled witness uniquely qualified to assess a murder victim's truthfulness, it was a harmless error because his testimony was an admissible lay observation, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded today.

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COA rules on first impression railroad issue

In an issue of first impression, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded a Federal Employer Liability Act claim premised on
unsafe ballast isn't precluded by Federal Railroad Safety Act regulations of ballast in a man's suit for injuries
he sustained while employed with a transportation company.

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