Articles

Opinions July 8, 2015 ILD

Indiana Court of Appeals
Anthony Furlani v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
49A02-1412-CR-830
Criminal. Affirms aggregate sentence of 35 years for four counts of child molestation as Class A felonies and three counts of child molestation as Class C felonies.

Jamie Johnson v. Courtney Johnson (mem. dec.)
88A01-1409-DR-406
Domestic relation. Affirms final dissolution decree. Finds any error in failing to explain a deviation from a 50/50 division of remaining property was harmless. Also rules trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to order Courtney Johnson to pay attorney fees to Jamie Johnson.

Kyle Beals v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
49A02-1411-PC-776
Post conviction. Affirms denial of petition for post-conviction relief.

Eric L. Carter v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) 
63A01-1412-CR-527
Criminal. Affirms 12-year sentence for possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, as a Class B felony.
 
Anteis Robinson v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
49A04-1411-CR-536
Criminal. Affirms conviction of resisting law enforcement, as a Class A misdemeanor.

Rumaldo M. Juarez v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
29A04-1410-CR-508
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Class B felony sexual misconduct with a minor and Class C felony sexual misconduct with a minor.

Christopher Rehtorik v. Jamie Rehtorik (mem. dec.)
64A03-1411-DR-402
Domestic relation. Affirms trial court’s determination that Jamie Rehtorik was entitled to claim minor child on her 2012 federal and state tax returns and affirms denial of Christopher Rehtorik’s motion for rule to show cause. Also affirms order for Christopher Rehtorik to pay $6,000 of Jamie Rehtorik’s attorney fees. Declines Jamie Rehtorik’s request for appellate attorney fees.

Christopher J. Wilson v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
79A02-1411-CR-791
Criminal. Affirms 13-year sentence for pleading guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor, a Class B felony.

Mohammed Nadeem v. Shahidatul Abubakar (mem. dec.)
02A04-1407-DR-343
Domestic relation. Affirms order dissolving marriage. Finds trial court did not abuse its discretion in choosing a valuation date for certain marital assets or in failing to consider the fund Nadeem had received from his family as marital debt. Also rules trial court did not abuse its discretion in awarding 60 percent of the marital estate to Abubakar or in ordering Nadeem to pay $14,000 in Abubakar’s attorney fees. Judge Margret Robb concurs in result without opinion.

Kenneth Cushingberry v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
49A02-1410-CR-724
Criminal. Affirms one-year sentence for convictions of theft, as a Class A misdemeanor, and possession of marijuana, as a Class B misdemeanor.

Cindy Brothers, As Personal Representative of the Estate of Kristopher Stately, Deceased, Alicia Arnold and Tiffany Arnold v. Lake Holiday Enterprises, Inc. (mem. dec.)
37A03-1410-CT-347
Civil tort. Affirms summary judgment in favor of Lake Holiday on Alicia and Tiffany Arnold’s bystander claims of negligent infliction of emotional distress. Finds its reversal of summary judgment on the remaining claims remains appropriate.

Allen E. Wilson v. Amy L. Wilson (mem. dec.)
34A02-1410-DR-754
Domestic relation. Affirms trial court’s denial of Allen Wilson’s post-judgment requests for further discovery and exclusion of husband’s $36,815 advance from the marital estate. Reverses trial court’s inclusion of four race cars in the marital estate and the valuation of the 2002 Corvette. Remands with instructions that the trial court include only the $7,500 Outlaw in the marital estate and value the 2002 Corvette at $19,000.

 

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Opinions July 8, 2015

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Choice Hotels International, Inc. v. Anuj Grover, Arjun Grover and Dharam Punwani

14-3294
Appeal from the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division;
Judge Joseph S. Van Bokkelen
Civil. Affirms denial of motion for relief from judgment. Finds the investors cannot have the judgment set aside because their attorney failed to protect their interests. Instead they should seek remedy through a malpractice action.

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Indiana law applies to truck fatality, COA rules

A family’s attempt to apply Illinois law in an Indiana traffic fatality failed to overcome state court precedent, which has established that laws of the state where an accident happened govern the conduct of the parties.

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Opinions July 7, 2015 ILD

Indiana Court of Appeals
Peter D. Nugent v. Phyllis N. Nugent (mem. dec.)
49A04-1410-DR-466
Domestic relation. Affirms denial of Peter Nugent’s petition to modify child support. Also affirms awarding Phyllis Nugent attorney fees in the amount of $3,000.

Clemmeth and Janis Leach v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
55A01-1410-CR-443
Criminal. Affirms judgment of trial court ordering the Leaches to pay $45,238.01 in restitution to Patton Park, a lake community in Morgan County.

Scott Huy v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

15A01-1410-CR-465
Criminal. Affirms conviction for dealing in cocaine or narcotic drug, a Class A felony, and 40-year sentence, enhanced by 30 years for being a habitual offender. Remands so trial court may correct judgment to reflect that Huy is serving an enhanced, rather than a consecutive, sentence.

Herbert Cox III v. The State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
45A03-1501-CR-38
Criminal. Affirms denial of Cox’s petition to modify his seven-year sentence, all to be served in the Indiana Department of Correction. The sentence was imposed after Cox pleaded guilty to Class C felony habitual traffic violator.

John Wesley Kimbrough, Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
45A03-1501-CR-18
Criminal. Affirms Kimbrough’s 17-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to Class B felony aggravated battery.

Vincent D. Quarles Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
34A02-1412-CR-871
Criminal. Affirms Quarles’ conviction of Class B felony aggravated battery for shooting a victim in the face during a fight outside a Kokomo bar. Finds the evidence is sufficient to rebut Quarles’ self-defense claim.

Scott Meisberger, d/b/a Meisberger Construction v. D. Brent Hanger and Gregory Bishop d/b/a H & B Enterprises, Inc. (mem. dec.)
40A01-1410-CC-453
Civil collection. Reverses judgment in favor of H & B and remands with instructions to enter judgment in Meisberger’s favor in the amount of $29,163.48. Finds Hanger and Bishop offered no evidence supporting their contentions that they had paid Meisberger in full.

 

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Opinions July 7, 2015

Indiana Court of Appeals
Bryan A. Cox v. State of Indiana
27A02-1412-CR-599
Criminal. Affirms 15-year aggregate executed sentence for Class B felony dealing cocaine and adjudication as a habitual offender. The doctrine of amelioration does not apply to Cox’s habitual offender sentence enhancement. Cox argued that he should have been sentenced under a more lenient amended habitual offender statute effective July 1, 2014, but his crime occurred before this, and the Legislature clearly did not intend for the doctrine of amelioration to apply to the amended statute.

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COA affirms habitual offender enhancement

A habitual offender failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that an amended statute, which took effect July 1, 2014, should have been applied to enhance his dealing cocaine conviction.

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