COA Judge Najam granted senior status ahead of retirement
The Court of Appeals of Indiana’s current longest-serving judge, who is set to retire this summer, won’t be off the bench completely, as he’s been granted senior judge status.
Indiana Court of Appeals
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Man loses appeal of animal abuse convictions after hitting, shooting dog
The Court of Appeals of Indiana has upheld a man’s conviction for hitting and shooting his dog, finding the evidence did not support his claim that he was trying to put the animal down to protect his neighbors.
Convictions upheld for man in Allen Co. drug robbery gone wrong
A man involved in a robbery-turned-murder will keep his related convictions despite his arguments against a traffic stop and the jury instructions in his case, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled.
Grandmother secures reversal in child custody case against father
A grandmother who says she helped “pick up the pieces” of her grandchild’s life after the minor was molested in her father’s home has secured a reversal from the Court of Appeals of Indiana in a custody battle.
COA: Evidence sufficient to sustain sexual battery conviction
A man who groped a woman in a dormitory restroom was unable to get his felony conviction overturned after the Court of Appeals of Indiana found the evidence was sufficient to show he physically restrained the woman while touching her without her consent.
RFRA defense fails to stop child abuse prosecution
A Lawrence County man tried to defend himself against child abuse charges by asserting his right to religious freedom, but the Court of Appeals of Indiana found the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act did not apply in his case because the prosecution demonstrated it had chosen the least restrictive means to advance the state’s compelling interest in protecting children.
Justices reinstate judgment for loan broker, reject ‘fraud’ finding
A loan brokerage company will be permitted to collect a roughly $3,000 consultant’s fee from a client that rejected its financing offer, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled, overturning a lower court’s finding that the broker asked the client to commit fraud in order to obtain financing.
Justices remand appeal of moot commitment order, clarify precedent on public-interest exception in commitment cases
Despite her involuntary commitment order having long since expired, a woman will be permitted to challenge the order at the Court of Appeals of Indiana after the Indiana Supreme Court issued a decision clarifying its precedent on how appellate courts should review involuntary commitment cases that have become moot. A dissenting justice, however, repeated previous concerns about the majority’s approach to the public-interest mootness exception.
Enhanced consecutive sentences upheld in fentanyl overdose case
A man who sold fentanyl-laced heroin to his friend that resulted in the buyer overdosing will keep his enhanced consecutive sentences, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has concluded.
COA finds statute grants DNR immunity from claims over flooded fields
A family of farmers in Marshall County who claimed their fields flooded because of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ negligent operation of a nearby dam had their trial court victory washed away when the Court of Appeals of Indiana ruled that a state statute grants the agency immunity from negligence claims.
Supreme Court reverses course, denies transfer in dental dispute
The Indiana Supreme Court has decided not to assume jurisdiction and instead reinstated an opinion from the Court of Appeals of Indiana in a dispute between a dentist and her former employer.
COA affirms for mom in false reporting child abuse case brought against father, girlfriend
The Court of Appeals of Indiana has upheld a nearly $300,000 judgment in favor of a mother who sued her ex-husband and his new girlfriend for making a false claim of child abuse against her.
COA finds unavailability of ‘essential witnesses’ key to delay in CHINS case
The Court of Appeals of Indiana has found a juvenile court that reset four times a factfinding hearing for a CHINS petition and, consequently, exceeded the 120-day statutory deadline did not abuse its discretion because the Indiana Department of Child Services needed extra time to procure the testimony of two physicians.
COA affirms judgment for roofing company against subcontractor, reverses to determine accurate prejudgment interest
The Court of Appeals of Indiana has affirmed summary judgment, damages and attorney fees for a roofing company after its relationship with a subcontractor turned sour. However, the court reversed to determine the appropriate award of prejudgment interest.
COA: Geist Lake homeowners had authority to create association
A group of homeowners argued that their feud with the developer of their subdivision put an issue of first impression before the Court of Appeals of Indiana, but the appellate panel ruled it did not have to rule on the larger issue because of the “clear and unambiguous language” of the declaration governing the use of the homeowners’ properties.
COA concludes genuine issues of material fact exist in roof repair breach of contract suit
The Court of Appeals of Indiana has affirmed the denial of summary judgment requests from both an Indiana roof contractor and a certified class over disputes stemming from a breach of contract case, finding genuine issues of material fact exist as to whether their contract is null and void.
COA: HOA rightfully granted summary judgment in dispute over pole barn
A couple who constructed a pole barn on their property without first getting approval from their homeowners association failed to convince the Court of Appeals of Indiana that the trial court erred in granting the HOA summary judgment.
Indiana Court Decisions: May 19-June 1, 2022
7th Circuit Court of Appeals Published May 18, posted to theindianalawyer.com on May 19 Danielle Albert v. Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of Social Security 21-2592 7th Circuit affirms denial of disability benefits, urges petitioner to ‘give work a shot’ A northern Indiana woman who applied for Social Security disability benefits shortly after graduating from high […]
COA: Death of ex-spouse does not end trial court’s jurisdiction
The Court of Appeals of Indiana is allowing a woman to pursue the quitclaim deed her former husband had promised after the trial court stopped the proceeding and concluded it no longer had jurisdiction to address the matter because the ex-husband died.
COA to hear arguments in 3 cases Tuesday
The Court of Appeals of Indiana is preparing to hear arguments in cases involving solar farms, imminent domain and insurance coverage next week.