Opinions

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
John Doe v. Prosecutor, Marion County, Indiana
12-2512
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.
Civil. Reverses District Court decision to uphold statute prohibiting most registered sex offenders from using certain social networking and holds the law as drafted is unconstitutional. Though content neutral, the law is not narrowly tailored to serve the state’s interest. It broadly prohibits substantial protected speech rather specifically targeting the evil of improper communications to minors. Remands with instructions to enter judgment in favor of Doe and issue the injunction.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Lula L. Jenkins, et al. v. South Bend Community School Corp.
71A03-1206-PL-260
Civil plenary.  Reverses summary judgment for South Bend Community School Corp. on Jenkins’ action seeking an independent determination of whether she was discharged for just cause from her position as a bus driver. The advisory nature of the arbitrator’s award allows the non-prevailing party, here SBCSC, to reject the award, thus triggering judicial review, either under the Uniform Arbitration Act’s provisions or for a determination whether the facts found by the arbitrator support the award. Remands for further proceedings.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Linda K. Roddy v. Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security
12-1682
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, New Albany Division, Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.
Civil. Vacates judgment of the District Court and remands Roddy’s case for disability insurance benefits to the Social Security Administration for further proceedings. Finds the administrative law judge made a number of errors in his consideration of the record, in which he denied her benefits.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Daniel Brewington v. State of Indiana
15A01-1110-CR-550
Criminal. Reverses convictions and sentences for intimidation of Dr. Edward Connor and intimidation of Heidi Humphrey and remands with instructions to vacate, which does not alter Daniel Brewington’s aggregate sentence. Affirms conviction for intimidation of Judge James Humphrey and for attempted obstruction of justice relating to Connor. Affirms in all other respects.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Nick Domaschko and Edwina Domaschko, and their Respective Trusts, et al. v. State of Indiana
58A01-1206-PL-261
Civil plenary. Affirms trial court’s order of immediate appropriation and appointment of appraisers. The trial court properly determined that the state, through the Indiana Department of Transportation, was entitled by law to acquire the Domaschkos’ property.

Indiana Supreme Court
Timothy W. Plank, Individually and as Personal Representative of the Estate of Debra L. Plank, Deceased v. Community Hospitals of Indiana, Inc., and State of Indiana
49S04-1203-CT-135
Civil tort. Affirms trial court denial of Timothy Plank’s request to hold an evidentiary hearing to challenge the constitutionality of the Medical Malpractice Act. Plank forfeited his opportunity to conduct such a hearing.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Deantoine M. Harris v. State of Indiana (NFP)
02A03-1204-CR-185
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class B felony burglary and adjudication as a habitual offender.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Dejuan T. Lowe v. State of Indiana (NFP)
71A03-1206-CR-264
Criminal. Dismisses as untimely Lowe’s appeal of sentence following guilty pleas to multiple felony charges of burglary and attempted burglary.

Indiana Supreme Court
Andre Gonzalez v. State of Indiana
45S03-1206-CR-307
Criminal. Reverses denial of petition to remove the lifetime registration requirement and remands for further proceedings. Finds the Ex Post Facto Clause of the Indiana Constitution prohibits retroactive application of a lifetime registration requirement for Gonzalez, whose requirement to register for life was added while he was completing the 10-year required registration as a sex offender that was in place at the time due to his child solicitation conviction. Justice Rucker concurs in result.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States of America v. Michael D. Weir
11-3321
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Terre Haute Division, Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.
Criminal. All the judges on the original panel have voted to deny the petition for rehearing and no judge in regular active service asked for a vote on the petition for rehearing en banc. The petition is therefore denied. Weir complained that his Fourth Amendment rights were violated when a police officer seized $6,655 from him during a traffic stop.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. v. Arbor Homes LLC
12-2274
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, Magistrate Judge Tim A Baker. Affirms District Court ruling in favor of West Bend Mutual Insurance that it has no duty to defend or indemnify Arbor Homes. Arbor Homes agreed to a settlement with homeowners without obtaining the prior consent of West Bend after raw sewage backed up into their brand new home.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Term. of the Parent-Child Rel. of: C.A. & Z.A. (Minor Children), and H.A. (Father) v. The Indiana Dept. of Child Services (NFP)
41A04-1205-JT-407
Juvenile. Affirms termination of father’s parental rights.

Indiana Court of Appeals
State of Indiana v. Daniel E. Riley
78A05-1206-CR-311
Criminal. Reverses dismissal of Class B misdemeanor battery charges. Because the information was proper even with Indiana Gaming Agent Audrey Smoot as an affiant, and because there appears to have been no other basis for the dismissal (other than possibly a mistaken belief that an unauthorized investigation would affect the information), the trial court abused its discretion in granting the dismissal.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States of America v. Juan Ramirez-Fuentes
12-1494
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division, Chief Judge Philip P. Simon.
Criminal. Affirms convictions and 295-month sentence for possession with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Finds no plain error in admitting testimony about the possession of firearms, but testimony classifying the drug as “Mexican” methamphetamine shouldn’t have been allowed. Finds judge considered family situation when sentencing Ramirez-Fuentes.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Indiana Public Employee Retirement Fund v. Paul Bryson
49A04-1201-MI-2
Miscellaneous. Affirms original opinion that Bryson’s on-duty injury was a “covered impairment” making him eligible for Class 1 impairment disability benefits even though he had a pre-existing condition.

Indiana Court of Appeals
James M. Brinkley and Stephanie L. Brinkley v. Michael Haluska, P.E., d/b/a Retro Tech, et al.
32A01-1204-MI-181
Miscellaneous. Affirms trial court’s summary judgment that Donald Gindelberger is a good faith purchaser for value of a 1965 Chevrolet Corvette because the Brinkleys were in the best position to prevent the allegedly fraudulent sale and did not do so. Also, it concluded the BMV is immune from liability.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States of America v. Fairly W. Earls
11-3347
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division. Judge Joseph S. Van Bokkelen.
Criminal. Affirms conviction of making a false statement on a passport application, aggravated identity theft and knowingly transferring a stolen identification document. Affirms the admission of certain evidence at Earls’ trial and finds the District Court did not err in its calculation of his offense level.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Steven E. Malloch v. State of Indiana
17A03-1201-CR-37
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class A felony child molesting for an incident involving his stepdaughter. There was no prosecutorial misconduct and the trial court did not err by admitting Malloch’s apology letter to C.P. Although Malloch did not receive a perfect trial, the appellate judges are confident he received a fair trial.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Joshua Beller, a minor, by his next friend and mother, Melissa Welch, et al. v. Health and Hospital Corp. of Marion County Ind., d/b/a Wishard Memorial Hospital d/b/a Wishard Ambulance Service
11-3691
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.
Civil. Affirms summary judgment for the defendants on the plaintiffs lawsuit alleging violation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act by failing to stabilize Welch and her son during an emergency medical situation. Because the Wishard ambulance was operating under the EMS protocol at the time the plaintiffs were in it, the plaintiffs had not come to the Wishard emergency department under the EMTALA, and the plaintiffs’ claim cannot succeed.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Norman W. Bernstein, et al. v. Patricia A. Bankert, et al. and Auto Owners Mutual Insurance Co.
11-1501, 11-1523
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, Chief Judge Richard L. Young.
Civil. Reverses dismissal of counts I, II, III and VII. In Count I, the trustees have made a timely CERCLA claim, under 42 U.S.C. § 9607(a)(4)(B), to recover costs incurred pursuant to the 2002 AOC. The trustees’ Count II “companion claim” for a declaratory judgment of CERCLA liability is therefore also reinstated. Finds that the Indiana ELA claim contained in Count III is timely, and that the declaratory judgment claim contained in Count VII is not moot. The District Court committed no abuse of discretion in its handling of the summary judgment briefing process. Finally, affirms the District Court’s denial of Auto Owners’ motion for summary judgment on preclusion grounds. The trustees’ suit is reinstated and remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.