Southern District revises pending local rule amendments
A clerical revision was made to amended local rules for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana that will take effect July 1.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
Articles
Jury awards $15M after Indiana cancer patient’s misread CT scan
A federal jury Friday awarded $15 million in damages on behalf of a woman who claimed a Carmel imaging center failed to identify a tumor that went untreated and undetected for nearly 18 months, severely reducing her chances of surviving cancer.
Prison doctor must face inmate suit as judge seeks counsel
A prison doctor must face a lawsuit from an inmate who claims the physician didn’t follow a surgeon’s orders for pain medication and physical therapy after the inmate’s back surgery. The judge in the case also said he would solicit counsel to represent the inmate going forward.
Court sees ‘high likelihood’ that Indiana’s voting law violates federal act
Three public advocacy groups have temporarily stopped the enforcement of Indiana’s 2017 voter registration law, which could potentially purge eligible voters from the rolls without providing them written notice. Judge Tanya Walton Pratt of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting the state from implementing the 2017 version of Senate Enrolled Act 442.
Adviser who defrauded former Colt of $4.7M gets seven years in prison
A former financial adviser who admitted to defrauding former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Cory Redding out of $4.7 million was sentenced Friday to seven years in federal prison. Kenneth Ray Cleveland received the punishment after pleading guilty to federal fraud and money laundering charges.
ACLU arguing for injunction against abortion law taking effect July 1
An in-court battle over yet another Indiana abortion law will take place Friday when the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana will urge a district court judge to enter an injunction against portions of a law set to take effect in less than a month.
Federal judge nominees face questions over juror race issue
At Wednesday’s U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing for the five nominees to the federal district bench, including the nominees for the Northern and Southern Indiana district courts, the table of potential judges was more crowded than the dais where the senators usually sit.
Horse Racing Commission must pay horsemen $56K in legal fees
A judge has ordered the state agency that regulates horse racing to pay the legal fees of an owner who successfully challenged an administrative rule restricting racehorses’ ability to compete outside Indiana. Judge William T. Lawrence of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on Monday ordered the Indiana Horse Racing Commission to pay $56,365 in attorney fees and costs to plaintiffs who won a ruling last year overturning a commission regulation.
Transgender teen’s restroom suit against Evansville schools proceeds
A transgender teen’s lawsuit alleging the Evansville school district violated his rights by forcing him to use the women’s restrooms despite his male identity will continue after a district court judge rejected the school’s argument that only the teen’s parents could act as his next friend in the litigation.
Brady, Hanlon to testify before judiciary committee
Two Indiana attorneys seeking appointment to the U.S. district courts for the Northern and Southern District of Indiana will be appearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Wednesday as candidates to fill current and future vacancies on the federal bench.
Supreme Court rejects questions in IU frat sex assault case
By a majority vote, the Indiana Supreme Court has declined certified questions of Indiana state law presented by a federal court concerning an Indiana University campus sexual assault case.
Judge: FSSA must allow quadriplegic to receive home care
An elderly quadriplegic who has been confined to a hospital or nursing home since February 2016 could soon return home after a district judge ruled the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration violated her rights by failing to provide her with home-based care.
Judge: DOC must reinstate credit time for violating inmate’s due process
The Indiana Department of Correction must restore 90 days of credit time revoked from an inmate who was found guilty of being under the influence of intoxicants after a district court judge determined the prison violated the inmate’s due process rights in reaching that finding.
Brownsburg man pleads guilty to terrorism-related charge
A suburban Indianapolis man accused of trying to join the Islamic State group overseas pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge Wednesday. Akram Musleh of Brownsburg entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.
Three business owners, former bank employee charged in $8M fraud schemes
Five central Indiana residents — including the owners of three local companies — have been charged along with a Detroit man with embezzling more than $8 million from a bank and an insurance company, in part to pay for a home, a wedding, cars and more.
Judge sets hearing on request to block Indiana abortion law
A federal judge has set a June hearing in Evansville on Planned Parenthood’s bid to block a new Indiana law that requires medical providers who treat women for complications arising from abortions to report detailed patient information to the state.
Lawyer must face malpractice claim in ex-ballplayer’s unrepaid loan
An Indianapolis attorney must face a legal malpractice claim from a couple who allege the lawyer failed to adequately protect them and had a conflict of interest when he drafted a promissory note for a loan to a retired Major League Baseball player, who never repaid.
Lawyer hit with $150K infringement judgment says he wasn’t served notice
An Indianapolis attorney ordered to pay more than $150,000 in copyright infringement damages to another lawyer for using his Indianapolis skyline photo without permission claims in court that he never received notice of the suit against him.
Southern Indiana federal court film nominated for 2 Emmys
The documentary about the federal courts in Indiana produced to mark the Southern Indiana District Court’s bicentennial in 2017 has been nominated for two Emmy Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Lower Great Lakes Chapter.
Federal court lets Indiana prisoners challenge DOC mail restrictions
Indiana Department of Correction inmates may challenge DOC directives that restrict their mail, a federal judge ruled, certifying a class action lawsuit against policies that called for the screening or seizure of greeting cards and other forms of mail.