Indianapolis to pay $2M to man paralyzed in police shooting
The city of Indianapolis has agreed to pay more than $2 million to a man left partially paralyzed when a police officer shot him during a struggle.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
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Lawsuit claims DCS failing to protect children and inflicting further harm
Children going into the state’s child welfare system end up more broken, attorneys suing the Department of Child Services say, because they are not being provided with therapy and treatment to help them heal. Rather, the lawyers contend, DCS is just finding beds to stick the kids in and forgetting about their other needs.
Judge William Lawrence puts down gavel, calls it a career
Through his nearly 17 years on the federal bench, Judge William T. Lawrence often set aside his work and welcomed into his chambers young attorneys who had arrived seeking his advice, counsel and encouragement. At his recent retirement celebration, his Southern Indiana District Court colleagues said Lawrence was fair, smart and always kind.
Attorney-photographer seeks more than $38K in fees after winning copyright suit
An Indianapolis attorney and amateur photographer is seeking more than $38,000 in attorney’s fees and costs after winning a $200 judgment in one of dozens of copyright infringement cases he’s filed.
Abortion procedure ban latest to be halted
In the same day a federal judge blocked an Indiana law that would have banned a second-trimester abortion procedure, a conservative United States Supreme Court justice agreed not to hear a similar case from another state.
Retiring Judge Lawrence honored by Southern District Court
Federal and state judges, magistrate judges, former law clerks, court staff, Indiana Supreme Court justices, legal scholars and attorneys along with extended family crowded into the William E. Steckler Ceremonial Courtroom Tuesday afternoon to honor their friend and colleague, Senior Judge William Lawrence.
7th Circuit strips judgment for Emmis, rules for insurer
A federal appeals court reversed a breach-of-contract ruling for media company Emmis Communications Corp. arising from a shareholder dispute. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the district court should have found in favor of Emmis’ insurer instead.
Judge blocks Indiana law banning second-trimester abortion procedure
A federal judge late Friday issued an injunction blocking a new Indiana law from taking effect that would have prohibited the most common procedure used to perform second-trimester abortions. Senior Judge Sarah Evans Barker’s 53-page order blocks enactment of House Enrolled Act 1211, which she noted banned “an abortion procedure known to medicine as ‘dilation and evacuation’… and referred to by its political opponents as ‘dismemberment abortion.’”
Judge certifies class action in Henry County Jail overcrowding suit
Current and former inmates at the Henry County Jail will proceed as a class in a federal lawsuit broadly alleging overcrowded, unconstitutional and inhumane conditions at the facility in New Castle.
Lawrence retiring from Southern Indiana District Court
Senior Judge William Lawrence of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana will retire June 30, creating a “bittersweet” moment for the federal court that was his judicial home for nearly 17 years.
AG Hill accusers file harassment, retaliation lawsuit against him, state
Another chapter has been opened in the ongoing saga surrounding allegations that Attorney General Curtis Hill drunkenly groped four women at a bar more than a year ago. The four women, who up to this point have pursued action within the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, have now taken their complaint to the Southern Indiana District Court.
DCS lawsuit details harm to children
An 81-page lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Indiana Department of Child Services claims the agency is failing to protect children and further inflicting trauma by placing foster children in inappropriate, unstable or overly restrictive facilities and not providing the necessary medical and mental health care.
Indiana official sued for records on US election hacking vulnerability
A voting security advocacy group is trying to force the former president of a group of state election officials to release documents on whether she wrongly asserted that electronic election systems are safe from hacking.
Man with intellectual disability freed from death sentence
An Arkansas man sentenced to death for murdering a teenage girl in Texas 25 years ago has been granted his petition for habeas corpus after a federal judge determined him to be ineligible for the death penalty due to his intellectual disability. The man will be resentenced in Texas.
Disputed South Bend abortion clinic set to open
A group says it plans to begin accepting patients at an abortion clinic in the northern Indiana city of South Bend next week.
Lawsuit: School’s transgender policy violated teacher’s religious beliefs
A Brownsburg music teacher who claims he lost his job because he refused to address transgender students by the first names of their choice has filed a federal lawsuit against the Brownsburg Community School Corporation for violating his First Amendment religious freedom and free speech rights.
Hill accusers describe ‘retaliatory hostile work environment’ in federal complaint
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is being sued in federal court by four women who say he drunkenly groping them during a party last year. The women, including an Indiana lawmaker, say their aim is to ensure all individuals working in and around the Indiana Statehouse are able to perform their jobs and pursue their careers free from sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation for reporting such situations.
First Merchants Bank settles federal lawsuit alleging redlining
Muncie-based First Merchants Bank has settled a federal lawsuit, following U.S. Department of Justice allegations that the bank engaged in lending discrimination by redlining predominantly African-American neighborhoods in Indianapolis.
Terre Haute denied summary judgment on ex-employee’s sexual, retaliatory harassment claims
A former city of Terre Haute employee alleging he was forced to resign due to sexual harassment in the workplace partially defeated a motion for summary judgement against him Tuesday. A federal judge determined the city couldn’t stand up to the man’s claims for retaliatory and sexual harassment or negligent supervision.
Barker rejects request to keep closed South Bend abortion clinic pending appeal
Despite the Indiana Attorney General’s efforts, a federal judge has denied a request to stay the opening of what could become the state’s newest abortion clinic. Indiana Southern District Senior Judge Sarah Evans Barker on Friday rejected Attorney General Curtis Hill’s request to keep closed the doors of a South Bend abortion clinic until the state’s appeal of the matter can be considered.