Church: First Amendment protects decision to fire gay Indianapolis teacher
Catholic church leaders in Indianapolis are citing the First Amendment as a defense to a lawsuit filed by a teacher who was fired because he’s in a same-sex marriage.
lawsuit
Articles
Indiana DOC doesn’t have the drugs to kill death row inmates
The Indiana Department of Correction has confirmed the state doesn’t have the necessary drugs to execute any of the eight men who are on death row.
Volkswagen settlement funds fuel-efficient buses, trucks
Indiana gets $41 million from Volkswagen’s settlement of a class-action lawsuit after it was caught cheating on diesel-emissions tests. Indiana recently collected its first chunk of the $41 million, and its first round of grants will cover 179 vehicles and engines for schools, local governments and businesses around the state
Indiana’s lawsuit against opioid maker Purdue Pharma proceeds
Indiana’s lawsuit against drug maker Purdue Pharma for the company’s alleged role in contributing to the state’s opioid crisis is moving forward after surviving a motion to dismiss.
Crown Hill Cemetery objects to John Dillinger exhumation plans
The Indianapolis cemetery where 1930s gangster John Dillinger is buried is objecting to his body’s planned exhumation as part of a television documentary.
Positive drug test from driver’s hair weave creates legal tangle
A woman whose hair weave sample returned a positive test after she claims she was denied the chance to submit her natural hair for a random employment drug screen will have a chance to make a negligence claim against the lab, a federal court ruled.
Indiana couple sues Uber over fatal fight with Kentucky driver
An Indiana couple is suing Uber over a fatal fight with a Kentucky driver they say pulled a gun on them last summer.
Woman jailed over pursuit of debt wins partial judgment
A woman arrested for failing to pay off a health club debt she thought had been discharged nearly 10 years earlier partially won a judgment against the law firm that pursued collection on the debt.
Indiana Guard chief resigns days after retaliation suit’s filing
The leader of the Indiana National Guard is resigning days after a former contract worker accused him of retaliating against her for reporting his alleged affair with a subordinate.
House Judiciary sues to force McGahn to testify
The House Judiciary Committee took another step toward possible impeachment proceedings, filing a lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday aimed at forcing former White House counsel Donald McGahn to testify about his interactions with President Donald Trump.
Virginia transgender bathroom case: Judge favors ex-student
A federal judge in Virginia ruled Friday that a school board’s transgender bathroom ban discriminated against a former student, Gavin Grimm, the latest in a string of decisions nationwide that favor transgender students who faced similar policies.
Indiana National Guard leader sued over retaliation claim
A former contract worker has filed a lawsuit claiming she was retaliated against by the leader of the Indiana National Guard after she reported concerns about his affair with a subordinate. Shari McLaughlin filed the lawsuit this month in Marion Superior Court against Major General Courtney Carr, Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard.
Reversal: USDA farm wetlands ruling arbitrary and capricious
A Hancock County farm family denied U.S. Department of Agriculture benefits since the removal of nine trees from their farm in the 1990s prevailed in litigation against the agency. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals entered judgment for the family, finding USDA’s rulings in the case arbitrary and capricious.
Ruling affirmed for woman in emailed debt collection notice case
Judgment for a woman who was sent two debt collection notices by email has been affirmed by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which found the emails did not contain statutorily required disclosures.
Blind Hoosiers claim Indiana failing to provide access to benefits programs
Claiming “systemic violations of the civil rights of blind Indiana residents,” two individuals and the National Federation of the Blind filed a complaint in federal court Tuesday against the directors of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and the Indiana Division of Family Resources. The plaintiffs assert the defendants failed to provide printed communications about government benefits in alternative formats, such as Braille, and instead directed the blind individuals to have sighted third parties read the materials to them.
Gunmaker asks US Supreme Court to hear Sandy Hook appeal
The maker of the rifle used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its appeal of a state ruling against the company. Remington Arms, based in Madison, North Carolina, cited a much-debated 2005 federal law that shields firearms manufacturers from liability in most cases when their products are used in crimes.
Louisiana lawsuit: Forced bar association dues are unconstitutional
A lawsuit filed against Louisiana’s Supreme Court and the Louisiana State Bar Association says attorneys in the state are unconstitutionally forced to join the association and pay dues. The federal lawsuit says the mandatory bar association membership violates attorneys’ freedom of speech and association rights.
Muncie man freed in 2017 alleges wrongful rape conviction
An Indiana man who spent nearly 25 years in prison for a 1992 rape until DNA evidence helped free him alleges in a federal lawsuit that he was wrongfully convicted by authorities who fabricated evidence against him and took advantage of his severe mental health issues.
Guidance counselor sues Roncalli, Indianapolis archdiocese
A second teacher is suing the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, claiming she was subjected to a hostile work environment and discrimination because she is a lesbian and married to another woman.
Charlestown zoo owner must keep big cats during animal-rights case
A federal judge is doubling down on an animal-rights ruling that prohibits the owners of a southern Indiana zoo from moving its large cats out of its possession, though the judge stopped short of issuing sanctions for an alleged failure to follow that order.