COA affirms judgment for Indy car dealership in sale dispute
A consulting company could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that it was entitled to judgment as a matter of law in an Indianapolis car dealership dispute that it lost.
Indiana Court of Appeals
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COA partially reverses for father in child expenses dispute
A northern Indiana father failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that child custody and support rulings in his divorce proceedings were erroneous, though the court did agree with his challenges to medical expenses and home equity findings.
Appeals court tosses murder conviction due to lack of jury instruction
A unanimous panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals threw out a man’s murder conviction Monday after finding that the Marion Superior Court abused its discretion in refusing to provide the jury an instruction on reckless homicide.
Justices grant transfer for reconsideration in second PCR petition case
Indiana Supreme Court justices have reversed for reconsideration a case involving a child molester’s petition for post-conviction relief after he asserted that his second PCR petition only raised issues that emerged after his habitual offender conviction was reversed and remanded for a new trial.
Conviction upheld in Elkhart synthetic drug case
A northern Indiana man arrested during a traffic stop could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday that there was insufficient evidence to support his handgun- and drug-related convictions.
Man’s conviction upheld in gang-related murder
An East Chicago man could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Friday that he shouldn’t be found guilty of murder for his involvement in a gang-related killing.
Jury’s failure to appear verdict affirmed after man claimed intent was unproven
A southern Indiana man whose counsel admitted to a jury that the defendant failed to appear in court on a felony charge, but didn’t do so intentionally, lost his appeal of the jury’s guilty verdict Wednesday.
Indiana Court decisions – March 26-April 8, 2020
Read Indiana appellate court decisions from the most recent reporting period.
Home again: Elkhart man released after 15 years in prison, but case likely isn’t over
Andrew Royer has been granted a new trial after a special judge determined his 2005 trial was tainted by false evidence and coercive investigative techniques that exploited his mental disability. But the possibility of a retrial remains.
COA affirms murder conviction over challenged letter
The Indiana Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected a South Bend murderer’s claim that a letter he purportedly sent from the St. Joseph County Jail implicating another man in the shooting death was wrongly admitted at his trial because it was not properly authenticated.
Reversal: Landowners, not county, responsible for fixing failing dams near Peru
Reversing a trial court that determined Miami County was responsible for fixing six crumbling dams in a lake community housing addition, the Indiana Court of Appeals found the county was responsible only for the roads that crossed the tops of the embankments.
Appeals court affirms $80K damages ruling in logging trespass
A logging company that allegedly fell more than three dozen hardwood trees on a Morgan County property whose owner had warned the contractor to stay off his land was rightly awarded more than $80,000 in damages, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
Challenged blood draw in fatal impaired driving crash upheld
A defendant was unable to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals the state was improperly allowed a “do-over” by being able to offer as evidence at trial an analysis of his blood that showed the presence of controlled substances.
Injured wood trimmer operator loses appeal against manufacturer
A Southern Indiana machinery worker’s failure to follow warnings and instructions on a woodcutting machine he was using were the cause of injuries he sustained on the job, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded on Monday. As such, the machinery’s manufacturer couldn’t have reasonably expected the accident.
Indiana Supreme Court suspends filing by personal delivery through May 4
The Indiana Supreme Court announced Tuesday that filing pursuant to Appellate Rule 23(A)(1) by personal delivery to the clerk of courts or the rotunda filing drop box is now suspended through May 4.
Order vacating man’s removal from sex offender registry affirmed
A trial court that vacated its prior order removing a man’s name from the Indiana Sex Offender Registry was correct in doing so because the Indiana Attorney General’s Office had not been notified of the offender’s request to be taken off the registry, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
COA declines to add omitted party to prison death case on rehearing
Court proceedings between the estate of a deceased inmate and her Department of Correction health care providers will continue as-is after the Indiana Court of Appeals declined to recognize as a party a defendant who was inadvertently left out of the appeal.
Drug conviction, sentence upheld for man found with 10 pounds of meth
A man convicted on a dealing charger after a traffic stop uncovered 10 pounds of meth in his vehicle did not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that the trial court erred in either admitting evidence or sentencing him.
Burglar who said he was trying to help sister get dialysis loses appeal
A Lake County man sentenced to 16 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to two burglaries could not persuade an appellate court to lighten his punishment because he said he broke into homes in part to help his sister “get to dialysis.”
First impression: Adoption doesn’t sever biological family trust beneficiary rights
Three children who were provided for under terms of a trust established for their father by their great-grandmother remain entitled to their share of proceeds despite their adoption out of the family, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.