Senior COA Judge Michael Barnes dies, leaving public service legacy
Senior Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Michael Barnes died Friday morning in South Bend, leaving a legacy of more than 40 years in public service.
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Purdue faces second student lawsuit seeking refunds due to COVID-19
Purdue University faces a second proposed class-action lawsuit filed by a student who says he and others are owed refunds for tuition and fees paid for in-person classes and activities that transitioned to remote education when campuses closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
7th Circuit: Hostile work environment claim forfeited in military discrimination case
A former South Bend police officer who sued the city alleging unlawful discrimination based on his military status did not sway a 7th Circuit Court of Appeals panel on Friday that affirmed a ruling against him.
COA affirms murder conviction over challenged letter
The Indiana Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected a South Bend murderer’s claim that a letter he purportedly sent from the St. Joseph County Jail implicating another man in the shooting death was wrongly admitted at his trial because it was not properly authenticated.
Prosecutor seeks special investigation in fatal South Bend shooting
An Indiana prosecutor has asked a judge to approve a special investigation into a murder case after the defendant alleged investigators lied about details under oath.
Indiana governor extends virus stay-home order 2 weeks
Indiana’s stay-at-home order was extended Friday for two more weeks as the state’s number of coronavirus-related deaths topped 100 with an anticipated peak of infections still weeks away.
Illinois court affirms South Bend man’s sentence in 2015 attack
An Illinois appellate court has affirmed the 68-year sentence of an Indiana man convicted in a brutal attack of a woman at her suburban Chicago home in 2015.
Justices clash but rule for fired employee in duty-to-testify case
Indiana Supreme Court justices split Tuesday a dispute involving an employee who was fired after testifying at an unemployment compensation hearing, with the majority reversing in his favor. A dissenting justice would have affirmed, arguing the man didn’t have a reasonable belief of a duty to cooperate with an unissued, non-existent subpoena.
Officer responsible for fatal crash didn’t violate victim’s rights, judge rules
A former South Bend police officer who killed a motorist while driving in excess of 90 mph did not violate the motorist’s constitutional rights, a federal judge has ruled in dismissing a civil case against the officer. The judge did, however, authorize the filing of some claims in state court.
Ex-South Bend officer justified in black man’s killing
A special prosecutor announced Friday that a white former South Bend police officer was justified in the fatal shooting of an African American man last summer and that he won’t be charged in the killing that roiled then-Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign.
Royalties dispute over Indiana surgeon’s inventions returning to state court
An ongoing royalties dispute between Indiana spine surgeon Rick Sasso and medical-device giant Medtronic will continue in state court despite Medtronic’s efforts to remove the matter to a federal judge.
Roughly 1 in 5 current Indiana legislators initially sent to Statehouse by party caucus
From 2017 through 2019, nine legislators exited the Statehouse before their terms expired, requiring the state’s caucus system to ramp up to handle the large number of vacancies and bringing renewed attention to political party processes that choose who will represent voters. At present, 21.3% of Indiana legislators first entered the Statehouse through a caucus election.
Money judgment upheld after ‘de factor merger’ affirmed
A de facto merger existed between two companies operated under a “continuity of management,” the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Monday, upholding a judgment against the successor entity.
Buttigieg ends historic presidential campaign, urges unity
Pete Buttigieg, who rose from relative obscurity as an Indiana mayor to a barrier-breaking, top-tier candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, ended his campaign Sunday. The decision by the first openly gay candidate to seriously contend for the presidency — and among the youngest ever — came just a day after a leading rival, Joe Biden, scored a resounding victory in South Carolina.
South Bend grandfather to plead guilty in toddler’s cruise ship death
A South Bend man who was holding his granddaughter before she fell from a cruise ship window and plunged to her death in Puerto Rico said he has agreed to a plea deal “to help end part of this nightmare.”
Appeals panel upholds South Bend murder conviction
A man convicted of murdering the person he believed was responsible for killing his sister failed to convince a panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals that his conviction was in any way flawed.
Reversal: Ministry’s re-entry program excepted from landlord-tenant statutes
A South Bend ministry that provides transitional housing and job training for people re-entering society after incarceration won an appeal against a man who was awarded damages after claiming he was wrongly barred from the property and forced to come up with money to stay at a hotel.
7th Circuit rejects ineffective-assistance claim on direct appeal
A federal inmate who chose to raise an ineffective-assistance claim on direct appeal has lost his bid to overturn his guilty plea, with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals finding that his strategic decision to raise the issue on direct appeal led to a lack of sufficient evidence.
Fetal remains found at Illinois properties buried in South Bend
More than 2,000 sets of fetal remains found last year at the suburban Chicago garage of one of the Midwest’s most prolific abortion doctors were buried Wednesday at an Indiana cemetery where the state’s attorney general told a gathering that the remains’ discovery was “horrifying to anyone with normal sensibilities.”
More than 2,400 fetuses found at Illinois home to be buried
In what’s sure to be a politically charged ceremony, more than 2,400 fetuses found last year at the suburban Chicago home of one of the Midwest’s most prolific abortion doctors will be buried Wednesday in Indiana, a state with some of the nation’s toughest anti-abortion laws.