Indiana trooper fired for relationship with 17-year-old girl
An Indiana State Police trooper has been fired after admitting to continuing a relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
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COA to travel for three arguments next week
Three Appeals on Wheels oral arguments will be heard next week, involving wrongful termination of a hospital employee, suppression of evidence from a pat-down search and a hotel’s appeal of granted possession.
DTCI: The Sanctity of the Hoosier Paycheck
Wage and labor litigation is the hot new cottage industry. With a mandatory award of attorney fees and risk for substantial defense costs, lawsuits for unpaid wages arising under state and federal law should heighten employers’ review of just what goes in, and what gets taken out of, one of the most sacred covenants of employment: the paycheck.
Supreme Court: Judges can’t rule from the grave
Federal judges can’t rule from the grave, the US Supreme Court held Monday, writing that a federal court can’t count the vote of a judge who died in a decision issued after the judge’s death. The justices said “federal judges are appointed for life, not for eternity.”
Supreme Court deciding commercial courts’ fate
After a nearly 3-year pilot project, the specialized dockets in six Indiana counties are getting positive feedback from litigants in business disputes.
Nexlink must face fired worker’s sex harassment retaliation claim
Nexlink, a “solutions provider” for AT&T, has lost its bid for summary judgment and must face a former employee’s claims that she was terminated in fired for filing a sexual harassment complaint against a former supervisor when she previously worked at AT&T.
Connecticut man sues over job rejection due to medical marijuana
A Connecticut man whose bid to become a firefighter in the state’s largest city was rejected because he uses medical marijuana has sued.
7th Circuit remands disability case over ALJ’s errant hypotheticals
A rejection of a man’s application for disability and supplemental security income was remanded after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found an administrative law judge’s hypothetical question ignored one of the man’s most significant deficits.
Senator decides to send child labor law bill to summer committee
A state senator accused of having a conflict of interest over a bill he filed that seeks to eliminate the state’s child labor laws has essentially withdrawn the proposal from consideration this year.
Indiana lawmaker seeks to eliminate state child labor laws
An Indiana lawmaker’s efforts to eliminate the state’s child labor laws have raised conflict of interest concerns because he employs hundreds of minors at a ski resort.
Ex-state employee loses disability discrimination appeal
A former of Department of Insurance employee fired after engaging in a verbal altercation and making crude comments about another employee has lost her disability-discrimination appeal before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Divided 7th Circuit: Business owner may seek discharge of back pay debt
A divided panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed an Indiana business owner to seek to discharge back pay debt in bankruptcy proceedings, rejecting the National Labor Relations Board’s argument that the debt was not dischargeable because the employees to whom the back pay was owed were “maliciously” fired.
Union sues GM, says idled workers should replace temps
The United Auto Workers union is accusing General Motors of violating a national contract by using temporary workers at a plant in Fort Wayne instead of employing full-timers who were laid off from its factories elsewhere.
Female Gary principal loses sex discrimination appeal
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the grant of summary judgment to northern Indiana school corporation when it found a female principal was not discriminated against based on her sex when a male candidate got the job she applied for.
In labor arbitration class action, 7th Circuit asks, ‘What happens next?’
A wage and hour lawsuit that would have followed precedent became a case of first impression in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals with a ruling that held that while employers can prohibit class action arbitration, the district court, not the arbitrator, answers the questions about what can be arbitrated.
Critics say General Assembly harassment proposal sidesteps key concerns
A new proposed policy is being sent to the Indiana General Assembly House and Senate ethics committees for further review before it lands in both chambers for a full vote. Even so, questions linger over whether the recommendations will change behavior and protect potential victims.
Second gay Roncalli counselor has plans to sue
Not long after Roncalli High School guidance counselor Shelly Fitzgerald was placed on paid administrative leave because of her same-sex marriage, a second Roncalli guidance counselor announced she had filed a discrimination complaint against the school and Archdiocese of Indianapolis and plans to sue because she, too, is in a civil union.
Prosecutor: 27 carpenters ordered to repay $531K to union
Federal prosecutors say 27 carpenters have been ordered to repay more than $500,000 to their union after pleading guilty to health care theft.
Judge: Race, age discrimination claims against Amazon may proceed
An age and race discrimination case against online shopping giant Amazon will proceed after a district judge in Indianapolis partially declined to dismiss claims brought by a former employee.
Board fires South Bend officer involved in fatal crash
A public safety board has voted to fire a South Bend police officer who was involved in a fatal car crash while on duty.