Divided justices order new trial in wrongful death suit involving unwilling juror
Indiana Supreme Court justices on Thursday split in ordering a new trial in a wrongful death case involving an unwilling juror and a denied for-cause challenge.
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New territory: State courts prepare for return of jury trials
As Hoosier trial courts prepare for the return of in-person proceedings with COVID-19 precautions, many unanswered questions remain about the best practices for safely conducting jury trials.
Molester, 62, loses appeal claiming state didn’t prove he was at least 21
Common sense doomed a 62-year-old man’s appeal of his child molesting conviction Thursday in which he argued the state had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was at least 21 years old.
Justices amend juror privacy, alternate dispute resolutions rules
The Indiana Supreme Court has issued orders amending rules of the court, some of which concern juror privacy and public access to juror questionnaires and discovery of certain insurance settlement information in mediations.
Supreme Court permits Lake County jury trial to start
A civil jury trial is underway in Lake County after the Indiana Supreme Court granted a request to hold a two-day trial starting Wednesday – the first in an Indiana trial court since the suspension of in-person court proceedings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Appeals court affirms battery-by-bodily fluid statute includes spitting
An inmate who spat on a correctional officer lost his appeal Tuesday in which he argued, among other things, that Indiana’s battery by bodily fluid statute is unconstitutional for vagueness.
$479K judgment against Crown Point grocer in slip-and-fall case upheld
A jury verdict for a woman who was seriously injured in a fall on a snow-covered sidewalk outside a Crown Point grocery store was upheld Friday by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Justices to review murder verdict overturned due to lawyer’s lie on jury form
A Vanderburgh County jury’s guilty verdict in a murder case that was overturned on appeal because a lawyer who served as the jury forewoman lied on her jury questionnaire will be reviewed by the Indiana Supreme Court.
COA affirms driver waived claims of error in car accident case
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a jury’s verdict in a car accident dispute, finding the driver determined most at fault has waived his claims of error.
Judge reduces jury damages award for doctor in defamation case
A doctor will have to settle for just $3.5 million in damages rather than the $4.75 million a Marion Superior jury awarded after a judge on Friday reduced the jury’s award in a defamation case brought against a Carmel hospital after the doctor was falsely accused of drinking on the job.
Simple math suggests complex back story at Supreme Court
Supreme Court watchers were left scratching their heads when they learned Justice Neil Gorsuch was the author of Monday’s landmark LGBT rights ruling, but not because the appointee of President Donald Trump might have been expected to side with his conservative colleagues in dissent.
3-2 Supreme Court reverses, finds covered bridge arsonist insane
A man who confessed to burning down two Indiana covered bridges has had his guilty but mentally ill verdict reversed by a divided Indiana Supreme Court. The 3-2 majority cited unanimous expert opinion that the defendant is legally insane in overturning a jury’s conclusion.
‘The wheels of justice must go on’: Indiana Supreme Court hears first remote arguments
Joining the trend of appellate courts nationwide, the Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday took the historic step of hearing oral arguments via videoconference in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Indiana justices begin remote oral arguments on Thursday
Indiana Supreme Court justices will start hearing oral arguments through videoconferencing later this week. Their first case deals with a medical malpractice dispute involving an unwilling prospective juror who was thought to be evading jury duty.
Reversal: Brownsburg teen wrongly convicted in drug-deal shooting
A student was wrongly convicted by a jury of shooting another teen during a drug deal gone bad, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday. The panel reversed his convictions and decades-long sentence after finding insufficient evidence that he committed the crime.
Justices extend trial court relief through May 17, require transition plans by May 15
The Indiana Supreme Court is extending through May 17 the previously approved emergency relief orders issued to trial courts due to COVID-19. Justices are also setting a May 15 deadline for courts to submit transition plans for expanded operations.
US Supreme Court bans nonunanimous jury verdicts in Oregon
Until Monday, Oregon was the only state that still allowed non-unanimous jury convictions. The U.S. Supreme Court ended that in a decision involving a murder conviction in Louisiana, a state which, until 2019, had also allowed non-unanimous jury convictions. But the ruling also applied to Oregon’s law.
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.
Updated Southern District order extends pandemic jury trial delays
A new general order from the Southern Indiana District Court in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues jury trials until at least May 29 and enables jury staff to deter service for certain categories of jurors through June 30.
Supreme Court declines transfer in 17 cases, grants 2
The Indiana Supreme Court declined to hear 17 cases out of 19 petitions for transfer last week, but granted transfer in two cases concerning an unwilling juror and a highly sought after gravesite.