Opinions

Indiana Court of Appeals
Robbie Lomax v. Jennie L. Michael
12A05-1503-CT-124
Civil tort. Reverses final judgment against Lomax in his wrongful death action against Michael, in which the trial court granted partial summary judgment in Michael’s favor based on its conclusion that Lomax does not qualify as a dependent next of kin as required by the General Wrongful Death Statute. A question of fact exists as to whether Lomax is a dependent next of kin to Edward Lomax. Remands for further proceedings.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Russell A. Prosser, Jr. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
50A05-1502-CR-51
Criminal. Affirms convictions for 11 counts, including theft and unauthorized entry of a vehicle, following two separate jury trials. Prosser waived his challenge to a witness’s in-court identification of him, and there is sufficient evidence to support the convictions.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Eric Brazier d/b/a Brazier Painting v. Maple Lane Apartments I, LLC
71A04-1406-CC-278
Civil collection. Affirms judgment in favor of Maple Lane Apartments on Brazier’s lawsuit alleging he had performed more than $60,000 in painting services and had not been paid. The trial court also imposed sanctions against his counsel toward Maple Lane’s attorney fees because his attorney misrepresented the nature of the documents on which Brazier based his entire case.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Loren J. Adams v. Review Board of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, and F&J Pizza III LLC (mem. dec.)
93A02-1501-EX-16
Agency action. Affirms denial of claim for unemployment benefits.

Indiana Court of Appeals
G.T. v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
49A02-1504-JV-239
Juvenile. Affirms restitution order.

Indiana Supreme Court
Robert A. Masters v. Leah Masters
02S04-1504-DR-156
Domestic. Affirms award of attorney fees in a dissolution of marriage case to an arbitrator under the Family Law Arbitration Act. The award of attorney fees in this case is supported by the findings, and Robert Masters failed to show clear error as prescribed by Trial Rule 52(A).

Indiana Supreme Court
In the Matter of: Anonymous
79S00-1508-DI-512
Discipline. Issues private reprimand after finding attorney engaged in misconduct by communicating ex parte with a judge without authorization to do so, a violation of Professional Conduct Rule 3.5(b).

Indiana Court of Appeals
Travis Allen v. State of Indiana
49A05-1410-CR-501
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Class A misdemeanors operating a vehicle while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license, and Class C felony driving without a license. The total days of delay charged to the state in bringing Allen to trial is 363 days, so Allen is not entitled to discharge under Criminal rule 4(C) and the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it denied his motion. Judge Barnes dissents.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Scott A. Criswell v. State of Indiana
02A03-1501-CR-22
Criminal. Reverses denial of Criswell’s motion to suppress a statement given as part of an internal police investigation into his involvement in the break in and theft of items from a home. Remands with instructions to grant the motion to suppress the statement as well as any other evidence that was directly or indirectly derived from the statement.

Indiana Court of Appeals

Allen Gray Limited Partnership IV v. Bishop Mumford, Christopher Mumford, Elizabeth B. Mumford, Richardson S. Mumford, Thomas F. Mumford, Jr., and William M. Mumford
26A01-1503-MI-92
Miscellaneous. Affirms summary judgment for the Mumford family. The trial court correctly determined the reservation applied to the surface area of the “drilling unit” and did not restrict the Mumfords from making the reserved wells deeper.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Robert E. Quinn v. State of Indiana
20A03-1503-CR-82
Criminal. Affirms convictions of child molesting and criminal confinement, both Class B felonies. Under the facts and circumstances of this case, the state’s employees acted reasonably in the manner in which they maintained, discovered and tested DNA evidence that led to Quinn’s convictions, thereby establishing the due diligence requirement of I.C. 35-41-4-2(b).

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Tom Allen Manuel v. J.A. Terris
15-1392
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Terre Haute Division. Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.
Civil. Affirms denial of petition for habeas corpus, directed at the prison warden, for a reduction of Manuel’s prison sentence. The period that Manuel wants credited against his federal sentence had already been credited toward his state sentence.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Bryana Bible, Individually and on Behalf of the Proposed Class v. United Student Aid Funds, Inc.
14-1806
Appeal from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt
Civil. Denies petition for rehearing en banc of the panel decision. The panel reversed and remanded the District Court’s dismissal of Bible’s complaint against a creditor in a student loan default case. None of the panelists who wrote three separate opinions, nor other Circuit judges, favored rehearing en banc. Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote a concurrence to underscore that deference to federal agency positions affirmed in Auer v. Robbins, 519 U.S. 452 (1997), has been assailed by recent Supreme Court rulings suggesting that decision “may not be long for this world.”

Indiana Court of Appeals
Ronald C. Weyland v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
48A04-1409-CR-446
Criminal. Judges L. Mark Bailey and Michael Barnes grant rehearing and remand to the trial court to resentence Weyland. Judge Patricia Riley votes to deny the petition for rehearing.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Courtney R. Robbins v. The Trustees of Indiana University and Clarian Health Partners, Inc.
49A04-1412-CT-583
Civil tort. Affirms summary judge in favor of the Trustees of Indiana University and Clarian Health Partners Inc. This suit was filed after Tiffaney DeBow, a licensed practical nurse, accessed Robbins’ medical files and posted them on the Internet. The COA ruled Clarian is not vicariously liable for DeBow’s actions because she was not directly employed by Clarian. Similarly finds IU is not subject to vicarious liability because DeBow was acting outside the scope of her employment. Holds IU is not guilty of negligent hiring. Judge Terry Crone concurs in part and concurs in result in part. He urges the Indiana Supreme Court to revisit invasion of privacy precedent in light of today’s rapidly changing technology. 

Indiana Court of Appeals
Jason Lee DeGroot v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
45A03-1412-CR-457
Criminal. Affirms sentence following guilty plea to Class A felony voluntary manslaughter.

Indiana Court of Appeals
In Re: The Matter of the Petition to Expunge Conviction Records of James D. Borel v. State of Indiana
41A01-1412-MI-533
Miscellaneous. Reverses denial of Borel’s motion to correct error as the denial was against logic, facts and circumstances presented. There is insufficient evidence that he still owed $37 in court costs stemming from a 1976 case.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Defender Security Company v. First Mercury Insurance Company
14-1805
U.S. District court, Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, Judge Sarah Evans Barker.
Civil. Affirms First Mercury Insurance Co.’s motion to dismiss Defender Security Co.’s lawsuit alleging breach of contract and bad faith, which sought a declaratory judgment that First Mercury owed it a duty to defend. Based on Indiana’s definition of “publication” in the defamation context, the term “publication” in the insurance policy was not susceptible to Defender’s interpretation that its recording and storing of customers’ information constitutes “publication” so as to trigger defense by First Mercury in a lawsuit.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Michael R. Pike, and Chassidy L. Pike v. Conestoga Title Insurance Co.
16A05-1501-CT-27
Civil tort. Affirms summary judgment in favor of Conestoga Title Insurance Co. The Pikes failed to promptly notify Conestoga about legal notices that their property was being placed in a tax sale.

Indiana Court of Appeals
M.L. v. M.F. and M.Fu. (mem. dec.)
33A01-1505-DR-318
Domestic relation. Reverses child support order entered upon M.L.’s petition for child support modification.