Indiana Court Decisions — Dec. 19, 2017-Jan. 3, 2018
Read Indiana appellate court decisions from the latest reporting period.
Indiana Supreme Court
Articles
Problems persist as director quits DCS
The departure of Mary Beth Bonaventura as director of the Indiana Department of Child Services surprised several family law attorneys and social service providers. Uniformly, they agreed the former Lake County juvenile judge was a strong advocate for children and brought valuable experience to her tenure. Still, the department has struggled against internal and external challenges.
Allen County tax, annexation dispute to continue in trial court
A dispute between Allen County fire departments grounded in both annexation and tax law will continue before the Allen Superior Court after the Indiana Supreme Court denied transfer to an August decision giving the trial court jurisdiction to hear the case.
Judge orders IBM to post $25M bond in Indiana welfare case
IBM Corp. must post a $25 million bond as it appeals a $78 million judgment in a long-running case that stems from the company’s failed effort to automate much of Indiana’s welfare services.
2018 State of the Judiciary set for next week
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush will discuss the judiciary’s continued efforts toward expanding court technology, addressing the opioid crisis and other related topics during her 2018 State of the Judiciary address next week.
Courts enter final year of e-filing rollout
The Benton Circuit Court implemented mandatory electronic case filing on Tuesday, the first court to move to a mandatory system in 2018 as the state continues its push to introduce e-filing to all Indiana counties by the end of the year.
7th Circuit reinstates Monarch-linked liquor distribution suit
The legal battle over an Indiana law that prohibits companies from holding permits for both beer and liquor wholesaling will continue after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of a federal case that challenges the enforcement of Indiana’s prohibited-interest statute.
Tippecanoe Superior Court judge appointed to circuit court
A Tippecanoe County judge will retain jurisdiction over both the superior and circuit courts while a successor to his previous seat on the superior court bench is being sought.
Indiana high court to hear Simon-Starbucks dispute
The Indiana Supreme court will decide whether Starbucks Corp. can close 77 Teavana stores in malls across the country after granting an appeal in Simon Property Group’s case against the coffee giant. The high court asserted its authority to assume jurisdiction in cases it deems an emergency.
In 2017, IL readers most followed these links
Breaking news and online updates of major legal stories were the most-read articles on TheIndianaLawyer.com in 2017, according to an analysis of pageviews. Here are the IL’s Top 20 most-read online stories of the past year.
Indiana Supreme Court considers eavesdropping case
The Indiana Supreme Court has taken up an eavesdropping case that could result in a new state standard to determine when prosecutorial misconduct is so egregious that a criminal suspect can no longer be made to stand trial.
Top 10 legal stories of 2017 focus on law schools, court changes
The closing of 4-year-old Indiana Tech Law School in Fort Wayne, and the revelation that 138-year-old Valparaiso University Law School faced an uncertain future, made law school troubles the top legal news story of 2017, as determined by the staff of Indiana Lawyer. Changes on the federal and state bench also were among the year’s top stories.
Warrick Superior judge transferred to Circuit Court
A Warrick Superior Court judge has been temporarily transferred to the county’s circuit court while the sitting circuit judge is unavailable to perform his duties.
Indiana Court Decisions – Dec. 6-18, 2017
Read Indiana appellate court decisions from the latest reporting period.
Rethinking bail: Pretrial release and apps among trends here and nationwide
The drumbeat to reexamine the practice of cash bail in Indiana and nationally has grown louder in recent years as jails groan under the weight of overpopulation. A court pilot program in Indiana assesses risk while a private initiative in New York uses computing power to raise money to pay bail for nonviolent arrestees.
Supreme Court raises minimum senior judge days to 15
The Indiana Supreme Court is increasing the minimum number of senior judge service days available to the state’s courts as a means of enabling courts to provide timely justice to litigants.
Divided Supreme Court reverses habitual offender enhancement
A divided Indiana Supreme Court reversed a man’s habitual offender enhancement Thursday after determining his two prior Illinois convictions were statutorily considered Level 6 felonies, thus disqualifying the enhancement. The dissenting justice, however, found ambiguity in the statutes at issue.
Justices: 2015 habitual offender law set 10-year limit for past low-level felonies
The 2015 version of Indiana’s habitual offender statute requires an offender to have been released from all lower-level felonies within 10 years to establish a habitual offender enhancement, the Indiana Supreme Court. Justices reversed a trial court that overruled a reversal of a defendant’s objection to his habitual offender charges.
Attorney who claimed improper influence over judges suspended
An attorney who implied to a client that he had the ability to improperly influence judges and suggested his client flee the court’s jurisdiction to avoid criminal prosecution has been suspended for 90 days.
Attorney who claimed improper influence over judges suspended
An attorney who implied to a client that he had the ability to improperly influence judges and suggested his client flee the court’s jurisdiction to avoid criminal prosecution has been suspended for 90 days.