Opinions

Indiana Court of Appeals
Ismael Alicea v. Ronald Brown
18A-CT-2495
Civil tort. Reverses the grant of partial summary judgment in favor of Ronald Brown on Ismael Alicea’s claim for punitive damages. Finds Brown has not sustained his burden to affirmatively negate an element of Alicea’s punitive damages claim. Also finds the Porter Superior Court erred in granting partial summary judgment in favor of Brown on that claim. Remands for further proceedings.

Indiana Supreme Court 
Nathaniel Bennett v. State of Indiana
18S-CR-538
Criminal. Reverses the Marion Superior Court’s finding that Nathaniel Bennett violated a term of his community corrections placement. Finds the trial court made factual findings that negate one part of the statutory definition to prove the violation. Remands for the trial court to change the record accordingly. Justices Mark Massa and Geoffrey Slaughter dissent without separate opinion, believing transfer should have been denied. 

Indiana Court of Appeals
In the Matter of A.R., A.S., L.S., and J.O., Children Alleged to be Cihldren in Need of Services; M.O. (Mother) v. Indiana Department of Child Services
18A-JC-2523
Juvenile CHINS. Reverses the Tippecanoe Superior Court’s adjudication of M.O.’s four minor children as children in needs of services. Finds the trial court erred in adjudicating A.R., A.S., L.S., and J.O. as CHINS. Concludes the Department of Child Services did not meet its burden to demonstrate that the children have needs that they were unlikely to receive without the coercive intervention of the court.

Indiana Court of Appeals 
Cathy Jo Robertson v. State of Indiana ex rel. Curtis T. Hill, Jr., Attorney General of Indiana; Ronald Bloemer, Auto-Owners Insurance Company, and OneBeacon Insurance Company
18A-PL-1002
Civil plenary. Affirms the Jennings Superior Court’s denial of Cathy Jo Robertson’s Indiana Trial Rule 12(B)(6) motion to dismiss a complaint to recover public funds filed by the Office of the Indiana Attorney General. Finds the two-year statute of limitations did not begin to run until after the OAG received the final, verified report of the Indiana State Board of Accounts. Also finds the OAG’s complaint was filed within two years of receiving the final report, so, the claim was timely filed, and the trial court did not err in its denial of Robertson’s motion to dismiss. 

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
USA v. Alandous Briggs
18-1415
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division. Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.
Criminal. Reverses the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana’s application of a four-level enhancement on Alandous Briggs’ guilty plea to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm after drugs and firearms were found at his home during a parole visit. Finds no factual findings were made connecting Briggs’ firearms to his conviction for cocaine possession. Vacates his sentence and remands for resentencing consistent with the opinion.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Rosemary Quillen, as Personal Representative of Patricia Cook, Deceased v. Anonymous Hospital and Anonymous Physicians A, B, and C
18A-CT-2743
Civil tort. Affirms the Porter Superior Court’s dismissal of Rosemary Quillen’s proposed medical malpractice complaints. Finds Quillen is not entitled to relief and that the trial court did not commit error in finding dismissal was the appropriate sanction for her failure to comply with the medical review panel chair’s schedule for submission of evidence.

Indiana Court of Appeals
B.D. v. Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital
18A-MH-2672
Mental health. Affirms the Monroe Circuit Court’s order temporarily committing B.D. to Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital for no more than 90 days. Finds the trial court’s order finding B.D. was a danger to herself and authorizing IU Health to medicate her was supported by clear and convincing evidence.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Indiana REMS, LLC v. Brock H. Medsker (mem. dec.)
18A-PL-1704
Civil plenary. Reverses the Marion Superior Court’s grant of summary judgment to Brock Medsker. Finds the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of Medsker on Indiana REMS, LLC’s counterclaim for mutual mistake of fact. Finds genuine issues of material fact remain regarding REMS’ counterclaim for mutual mistake of fact. Remands for further proceedings.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States of America v. Geraldo Colon
18-1233
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division. Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.
Criminal. Affirms Geraldo Colon’s money laundering convictions and the application of leadership enhancements to his advisory sentencing range. Finds the government’s evidence was sufficient to support the money laundering convictions. Also finds the district court erred in applying leadership enhancements, but those errors were harmless.

Indiana Court of Appeals 
David Hooker v. State of Indiana
18A-PC-2318
Post-conviction. Affirms the Vanderburgh Circuit Court’s denial of David Hooker’s petition for post-conviction relief on his conviction of Class C felony burglary. Finds Hooker failed to establish that the post-conviction court’s judgment was clearly erroneous. Judge L. Mark Bailey dissents witha separate opinion, finding Hooker’s plea was unreliable as a matter of law. 

Indiana Court of Appeals
Andrew Lee Swain v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
18A-CR-1838
Criminal. Affirms Andrew Swain’s aggregate six-year sentence following the revocation of his probation and his guilty plea to Level 5 felony escape and Level 6 felony unlawful possession of a syringe. Finds the sentence is not inappropriate in light of the nature of the offenses and his character. Finds the Grant Superior Court did not abuse its discretion in not finding Swain’s mental illness to be a mitigating factor.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Ja’Lin Williams v. Norfolk Southern Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Company
18-2517
Appeals from U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division
Magistrate Judge John E. Martin
Civil tort. Affirms grant of summary judgment to Norfolk Southern Corp. and Norfolk Southern Railway Co. Finds Ja’Lin Williams was more than 50 percent at fault for the injuries he sustained after running in front of a Norfolk train. Video evidence contradicted Williams’ testimony that the train was not sounding its horn or bells, did not have its light on and the warning signals were not flashing. Also cites Indiana law that a train operator has no duty to reduce a train’s speed if he sees a person crossing the tracks. 

Indiana Court of Appeals 
Dina Hasten Cohen v. Itamar Cohen
18A-DR-2139
Domestic relation. Affirms the Marion Superior Court’s order dissolving Dina Hasten Cohen’s marriage to Itamar Cohen and the distribution of assets of the marital estate between them. Finds the trial court did not abuse its discretion in failing to include an award of interest in the equalization payments the court ordered Itamar to pay to Dina.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals 
Trustees of Indiana University, et al. v. Terry Curry and Christopher Gaal
18‐1146, 18‐1247 and 18‐1308
Appeal from the District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.
Civil. Reverses an injunction against an Indiana law restricting the sale, transfer, receipt and acquiring of aborted fetal tissue. Majority judges Frank Easterbrook and Michael Scudder found the statute was not unconstitutionally vague. Judge David Hamilton dissented and would have affirmed the district court.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Melba Polk-King v. Discover Bank
18A-SC-1772
Small claims. Reverses the reinstatement of Discover Bank’s small claims action against Melba Polk-King, which was dismissed for failure to prosecute. Finds the small claims court abused its discretion by granting Discover’s motion and reinstating the action against Polk-King three years after the complaint had been filed and two years after the matter had been sent to arbitration. Remands for the court to vacate its confirmation of a subsequent arbitration award and dismiss the case with prejudice.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Michael R. Jent v. State of Indiana
18A-PC-785
Post conviction. Affirms the Allen Superior Court’s order denying Michael Jent’s petition for post-conviction relief. Finds Jent failed to show the post-conviction court erred in denying his petition and that his petition was unreasonably delayed.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals, and Al-Salam Foundation, Inc. v. David Bidgood, Sheila M. Graves, Salvatore Papalardo, David J. Reeves, and Angelo R. Stanco
18A-MI-2098
Miscellaneous. Reverses the Hamilton Superior Court’s denial of the Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals and Al-Salam Foundation’s motion to dismiss David Bidgood, Sheila M. Graves, Salvatore Papalardo, David J. Reeves, and Angelo R. Stanco’s petition for judicial review of the board’s grant a special use zoning permit to the foundation. Finds the remonstrators failed to timely file the board record or request an extension of time for filing pursuant to Indiana Code section 36-7-4-1600.

Indiana Court of Appeals
In re the Paternity of W.R.H. Casie N. Wheeler v. William Jesse Hinshaw
18A-JP-1770
Juvenile paternity. Reverses modification of custody ordered by Hamilton Superior Court, awarding sole legal custody of W.R.H. to William Jesse Hinshaw. Majority holds that because Indiana Code section 31-17-2.2-1 does not place legal custody at issue any time there is a hearing regarding a proposed relocation, legal custody was not at issue at the hearing, and the trial court erred by ordering the modification. Judge Terry Crone dissents with separate opinion and would affirm the trial court’s award of sole legal custody to father.

Indiana Supreme Court
Marcus Zanders v. State of Indiana
15S01-1611-CR-571
Criminal. Affirms Marcus Zanders’ convictions of two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. Finds that accessing Zanders’ cell-site location information was a Fourth Amendment search under Carpenter v. United States, 585 U.S. —, 138 S. Ct. 2206 (2018), but even if the CSLI evidence should have been excluded, the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Chaz Colin Kruger v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)
18A-CR-1144
Criminal. Affirms Chaz Kruger’s aggregate 12-year sentence for conviction of Level 4 felony burglary, Level 6 felony residential entry, Level 6 felony attempted residential entry, and Class A misdemeanor theft. Finds the Tippecanoe Superior Court did not abuse its discretion in sentencing Kruger. Finds his sentence is not inappropriate in light of the nature of his offense and his character.