Opinions

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Wayne Kubsch v. Ron Neal, superintendent, Indiana State Prison
14-1898
Appeal from the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, South Bend Division
Chief Judge Philip Simon
Criminal. Affirms denial of Kubsch’s habeas corpus petition. Majority rules the exclusion of testimony by neighbors which could have exonerated Kubsch was hearsay and, therefore, not admissible. In a dissent, Chief Judge Diane Wood argues the testimony should have been admitted under Chambers v. Mississippi, 410 U.S. 284 (1973).

Indiana Court of Appeals
Fifty Six LLC, individually and, alternatively, in the name of the State of Indiana on relation of Fifty Six LLC v. The Metropolitan Development Commission of Marion County
49A05-1407-PL-323
Civil plenary.  Reverses and remands denial of landowner Fifty Six LLC’s motion to correct error and granting of the development commission’s cross motion for summary judgment regarding the adoption of the Millersville Plan to guide development of a northeast-side Indianapolis community. Fifty Six had standing to challenge the Millersville plan and the MDC did not comply with required notice and hearing provisions before the hearing on the Millersville Plan’s adoption. Remanded for proceedings.

Indiana Court of Appeals
LHO Indianapolis One Lessee, LLC v. Esther Bowman, Individually and on Behalf of Other Similarly Situated Individuals
49A02-1411-CT-811
Civil tort. Reverses the trial court’s certification of a class defined by Bowman. Finds members of the class did not meet the requirement of Indiana Trial Rule 23(B)(3) by showing their illnesses were caused by eating the same contaminated food. Remands with the options of either redefining the class under Indiana Trial Rule23(C)(4)(a) or continuing under T.R. 23(B)(3) with respect to the hotel’s general liability only. 

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States of America v. Dennis R. Williams and Leslie Ann Williams and Indiana Dept. of Revenue and Clark County Indiana
13-2359
Appeal from U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, New Albany Division
Chief Judge Richard Young
Civil. Affirms order the property belonging to the Williamses be sold and the receipts divided among the Internal Revenue Service, the state of Indiana and Clark County. Finds the U.S. secretary of the treasury did authorize the proceedings and the attorney general did direct the action to commence. Holds the Williamses did receive notification of the amount of taxes they owed. Rules the state and county claims belong in the proceeding. Concludes the District Court’s decision is sensible and not an abuse of discretion.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
The following opinion was posted after IL deadline Thursday
United States of America v. Jeffrey P. Taylor
14-3790
Appeal from the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division
Judge Rudy Lozano
Criminal. Vacates sentence for Taylor convicted in 2007 of attempted transferring obscene materials to minors and remands to the District Court to remove a special condition of probation barring Taylor from viewing otherwise legal adult pornography. Taylor must make all Internet-accessible devices available for inspection without reasonable suspicion. A ban on contact with minors is overly broad. Judge David Hamilton concurred in part but dissented on lifting the pornography ban, finding no abuse of discretion. Judge Frank Easterbrook concurred separately to cite jurisdictional conflicts.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States of America v. Sandra McGuire
14-3545
Appeal from the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division
Judge James Moody
Criminal. Dismisses appeal over the denial of McGuire’s motion to withdraw a guilty plea to money laundering for depositing $2,200 in drug proceeds into her checking account. McGuire’s plea agreement included a waiver of appeal, and this applies to her motion to withdraw the plea after it was accepted but before she was sentenced.

Indiana Court of Appeals
BGC Entertainment, Inc. d/b/a Brad's Gold Club and 3551 Lafayette Road Corp. d/b/a Brad's Gold Club v. Jerry Coleman Buchanan, by His Father and Guardian, Odell Buchanan
49A05-1408-CT-373
Civil tort. Affirms denial of summary judgment in favor of Brad’s Gold Club parties in a negligence action resulting from a pedestrian’s injuries caused by a club waitress’s crash on her way home from work after she had been furnished alcohol. There are issues of fact concerning whether the club provided the waitress alcohol with knowledge she was visibly intoxicated and whether it breached its duty to supervise her. Buchanan’s cross-motion for summary judgment also was properly denied because evidence establishes that the waitress had no knowledge of her own level of intoxication to be imputed to the club.

Indiana Supreme Court
David J. Markey v. Estate of Frances S. Markey, Deceased; Stephen L. Routson, Personal Representative Under the Last Will and Testament of Frances S. Markey, Deceased et al
89S05-1412-ES-749
Estate. Reverses summary judgment in favor of the defendants. Agrees with David Markey that his claim for breach of contract to make and not revoke mutual wills is a claim governed by the probate code. Remands to determine if Markey was a “creditor” who was “known or reasonably ascertainable” and therefore timely filed his claim.  

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Louise Milan v. Billy Bolin, in his individual capacity as Evansville Police Department Chief, et al.
15-1207
Appeal from the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Evansville Division
Judge William Lawrence
Civil. Affirms denial of summary judgment in favor of the Evansville police defendants on Louise Milan’s claim of excessive use of force resulting from a SWAT team raid on her house initiated with the use of flash-bang grenades. Denial of the defendants’ motion for summary judgment is reasonable considering the use of flash bangs, the skimpy basis for the search and its prematurity, and the failure to conduct a more extensive investigation.

Indiana Supreme Court
The following opinion was posted after IL deadline Thursday
In Re the Visitation of L-A.D.W., R.W. v. M.D. and W.D.
82S01-1507-DR-452
Domestic. Affirms trial court grant of grandparent visitation, finding visitation in the child’s best interests and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in setting a schedule it deemed occasional and temporary. Justice Steven David wrote the majority opinion joined by Justices Brent Dickson and Mark Massa. Chief Justice Loretta Rush concurred, but wrote separately to caution that a reliance upon deference to the trial court insufficiently protects a parent’s constitutional right to guide a child’s upbringing, but in this case, the visitation order did not unduly infringe on father’s parental rights. Justice Robert Rucker joined Rush’s concurring opinion.

Indiana Supreme Court
Wellpoint, Inc. (F/K/A Anthem, Inc.) and Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. v. National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA, AIG Europe (U.K.) Limited, et al
49S05-1404-PL-244
Civil plenary. Grants petition for rehearing to modify the Supreme Court’s previous opinion. Finds its reversal should be clarified to grant summary judgment in favor of Anthem but only on the issues raised in Continental’s motion of summary judgment. Holds Continental did not waive its unasserted defenses.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States of America v. Robert L. Lee
14-2010
Appeal from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, South Bend Division.
Judge Robert L. Miller
Affirms revocation of supervised release for violation of terms due to commission of a crime. Rejects Lee’s argument that due process under the Fifth Amendment and Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.1 requires citation to a specific statute to provide written notice of the alleged violation.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Grant E. Bentrud v. Bowman Heintz Boscia & Vician, P.C.
14-2384
Appeal from the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division
Judge William Lawrence.
Civil. Affirms grant of summary judgment in favor of Bowman Heintz. Finds Bowman Heintz did not violate the Federal Debt Collections Practices Act for filing a second motion for summary judgment after the 30-day deadline to initiate arbitration had passed.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
The following opinion was issued after IL deadline Friday
Katherine Cerajeski, Guardian for Walter Cerajeski v. Greg Zoeller, Attorney General of the State of Indiana, et al.
15-1313
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson
Civil. Reverses dismissal of Cerajeski’s claim as moot, holding that she is entitled to legal fees because the suit led to a change in state law that enabled her to obtain damages sought in the litigation. Remands for a determination of reasonable legal fees, expressing a tentative view that the amount sought for the prior appeal –  $258,462.50 for 375.75 hours – is excessive.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Antyon Buford v. State of Indiana
20A05-1408-CR-392
Criminal. Reverses convictions of Class A felony dealing cocaine, Class B felony unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, and Class D felony maintaining a common nuisance. A warrant on which the search of Buford’s residence was premised was not supported by probable cause. Remands for proceedings.

7th  Circuit Court of Appeals
The following opinion was issued after IL deadline Wednesday.
United States of America v. Joseph B. Miller
14-2779
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
Judge James T. Moody.
Criminal. Affirms bank robbery conviction, holding that neither an FBI agent’s alleged misstatements nor defense counsel’s purported errors in failing to suppress certain evidence affected the outcome of the trial.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
The following opinions were issued after IL deadline Tuesday.
United States of America v. Michael B. McClellan
14-2449
Appeal from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division; Chief Judge Philip P. Simon.
Criminal. Affirms convictions of harboring an illegal alien, three counts of mail fraud, and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction involving criminally derived property. The evidence presented to the jury was sufficient for the convictions, and jury instructions concerning the harboring count did not constitute plain error.

Indiana Supreme Court
In the Matter of: Steven J. Ouellette
02S00-1502-DI-107
Attorney discipline. Disbars Steven J. Ouellette for converting $8,725 in client funds and failing to cooperate with the disciplinary process. Ouellette, who currently was suspended indefinitely in a separate disciplinary matter, violated Rules of Professional Conduct 1.15(a), 8.1(b), 8.4(b) and 8.4(c). Respectively, those rules violations are for failing to hold client property in trust; failing to respond to disciplinary authorities; committing a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness; and conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Charles R. Ferguson v. The Estate of Lera V. Ferguson
34A02-1411-ES-793
Estate. Reverses on interlocutory appeal an order that Charles R. Ferguson post a bond in excess of $1.1 million, representing the amount of his claim against the estate plus administrative costs in order to stay the sale of the family farm. Finding the trial court abused its discretion in ordering a bond in the amount of a claim against the estate plus costs, the panel remands with instructions that bond be posted at $60,000, the amount of administrative costs.

Indiana Tax Court
Richard D. Foster v. Indiana Department of State Revenue (mem. dec.)
49T10-1504-TA-17
Tax. Grants Indiana Department of State Revenue’s motion to dismiss. Foster appealed the revenue department’s seizure of his tax refunds and vehicles after he pled guilty to possession of marijuana. However, the Tax Court concluded it lacked subject matter jurisdiction since Foster had not taken his appeal from a final determination of the revenue department.