Problems, complaints absent from remote bar exam
After a series of software failures, increasing anxiety and a quick pivot to another format, Indiana administered the state’s first remote bar exam Tuesday without an apparent glitch.
Indiana Supreme Court
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Northern District certifies negligence question to Indiana Supreme Court
An internal split within the Indiana Northern District Court over whether store managers may be held liable in certain negligence cases has prompted a federal judge to ask the Indiana Supreme Court for guidance.
Indiana eviction, utility shutoff moratoriums end next week
Indiana residents who have struggled to pay rent or utility bills during the coronavirus pandemic have one more week before the state’s protections against evictions and utility shutoffs end, despite a recent analysis that found that more than 40% of the state’s renters are unable to pay their rent.
Justices toss man’s child molesting charges for speedy trial violation
The Indiana Supreme Court has ordered discharge of child molesting counts, finding the defendant is entitled to the discharge because the state waited too long to bring a stay of the proceedings in order to toll Indiana Criminal Rule 4(C)’s one-year limitation.
Web Exclusive: First impressions of the first COVID-era jury trial
“I knew that I was the first trial and that if I screwed up, nobody else would get to go, so I wanted these people to be comfortable,” Lake Superior Judge Bruce Parent said. Parent and others shared their perspectives on the first Indiana jury trial permitted after court proceedings were suspended due to the pandemic.
Moratorium extended as landlords, tenants encouraged to avoid evictions
As Gov. Eric Holcomb extended the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures until mid-August, Indiana state courts increased their calls for residents and property owners to start trying to work out agreements that will keep families in their homes.
Disciplinary Actions 08/05/20
Read who has resigned, been placed on probation or suspended from the practice of law in Indiana during the most recent reporting period.
Supreme Court affirms dismissal of firearm enhancement after COA reversed
Indiana Supreme Court justices vacated an appellate panel’s reversal on Tuesday, affirming the trial court’s dismissal of a firearm enhancement in a case involving a man who shot his roommate.
Legal community mourns passing of long-time Floyd Co. prosecutor Henderson
Keith Henderson, who served as Floyd County prosecuting attorney for nearly 20 years, died Aug. 1 at his home surrounded by his family following a battle with Lyme disease. He was 59.
Technical difficulties, high anxiety prevail during pandemic-era bar exam
Although the testing software was supposed to allow individuals to take the July 2020 Indiana Bar Exam while remaining safely in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the technology malfunctioned so badly that the Indiana Supreme Court will be forced to administer the test by relying on email and the applicants’ integrity.
Judge’s retirement opens St. Joseph court vacancy
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The coming retirement of a St. Joseph Superior Court judge has opened applications for her successor, the Indiana Supreme Court announced Friday. |
Task force issues recommendations for handling increase in eviction cases
In anticipation of state courts being overwhelmed with landlord-tenant cases once the pandemic moratorium on evictions is lifted, a task force assembled by the Indiana Supreme Court released recommendations Wednesday that encourage payment plans and alternatives to forcibly removing residents from their homes.
Faulty bar exam software tossed in favor of emails, open books
The Indiana Supreme Court issued an order Wednesday again revamping the July 2020 bar exam, opting to send test questions by email and allowing applicants to refer to notes and course materials during the test. The test is still scheduled to be administered remotely Tuesday under the new format.
Indianapolis attorney convicted of OWI suspended for 90 days
An Indianapolis attorney has been suspended for 90 days with automatic reinstatement following his conviction of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and several violations of the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct related to client representation.
Merrillville attorney’s discipline converted to indefinite suspension
Indiana Supreme Court justices have indefinitely suspended a Lake County lawyer who was suspended earlier this year for failing to cooperate with the disciplinary commission concerning a grievance against him.
Lawyer sentenced for theft from charity resigns from bar
An Indianapolis attorney has resigned from the bar rather than face a disciplinary proceeding a month after he was convicted of felony theft related to the misappropriation of funds from a charity that benefited Riley Children’s Hospital and a related business.
Software headaches adding to bar exam worries
Two business days from the July 2020 bar exam, some Indiana applicants are reporting problems with the software and adding more anxiety that they will not even be able to log on to take the test Tuesday.
Indiana bar applicants’ petition for open-book exam rejected
A late change in the way the Indiana bar exam will be administered has raised sufficient fears of some applicants about the potential for wide-spread cheating that they are asking the test to be open-book. But the Indiana Supreme Court rejected a petition from dozens of law school graduates who will take the bar exam remotely next week.
AG Hill’s accusers file state complaint, 7th Circuit appeal over alleged groping
Following two dismissals from the Indiana Southern District Court, the four women who have accused Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill of sexual misconduct are taking their claims for battery, defamation and invasion of privacy to state court.
COA affirms felony drug conviction sentence, invites justices’ guidance on modifications
A panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed a woman’s almost 10-year sentence for four felony drug convictions, but one appellate judge paused to invite further guidance from the Indiana Supreme Court on a sentencing issue he says has caused a split of opinion among his colleagues.