Indiana

7th Circuit criticizes lawyer for raising too many issues on appeal

A federal appeals court is criticizing an Indianapolis lawyer for filing an appeal that raises too many issues and “conveys the impression of ‘dictated but not read.’ ” The decision (PDF) by the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that lawyer Ronald Weldy filed the appeal too late…

Jul 7, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Parishioners at Church of Cannabis avoid criminal charges, plan civil suit

Parishioners at the First Church of Cannabis in Indianapolis left their pot at home when they gathered for a service on Wednesday, the same day that Indiana’s new religious freedom law took effect. Police had announced in advance that any pot smokers would be arrested, and officers were posted outside…

Jul 2, 2015 7:30 AM CDT

Lawyer targeted in claimed murder plot says not enough was done to protect her family

An Indiana matrimonial lawyer allegedly targeted by a mother and son in a bizarre murder plot says authorities haven’t done enough to protect her and her family. Even though two suspects have been arrested, Rebecca Eimerman is fearful that she is still in danger. She credits her husband, Michael McQuinn,…

Jun 30, 2015 9:00 AM CDT

Lawyer targeted in claimed murder plot says her husband saved her life by taking her car

Following news that authorities have recaptured a mother and son accused of participating in a bizarre murder plot against an Indiana divorce lawyer, the attorney herself is speaking out. Rebecca Eimerman says she is still fearful for her family’s safety and credits her husband’s decision to drive her SUV for…

Jun 26, 2015 10:45 AM CDT

Indiana Tech Law School denied provisional accreditation

Indiana Tech Law School has been denied its bid for provisional accreditation by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. The two-year-old school was notified of the decision Tuesday, according to a statement on the school’s website. The news was also posted (PDF) on the section’s…

Jun 10, 2015 4:30 PM CDT

Mom and son accused of plotting to kill divorce attorney are on the lam

An Indiana divorce lawyer was allegedly targeted in a murder plot because she tried to help a client collect money owed in a divorce settlement by the client’s ex-husband. Now the Florida mother and son accused of plotting to kill attorney Rebecca Eimerman and sitting in a vehicle outside her…

Jun 10, 2015 3:00 PM CDT

Barnes & Thornburg opens Dallas office with 2 partners from Gardere Wynne

A well-known Midwestern law firm has planted its flag in Texas, opening a Dallas office with two litigation partners from Gardere Wynne Sewell. Managing partner Bob Grand says Barnes & Thornburg expects the new office to have 15 to 20 lawyers within a year or so, Texas Lawyer (sub. req.)…

Jun 8, 2015 4:25 PM CDT

Once America’s youngest death row inmate, released convict dies in apparent suicide

A 45-year-old former death row inmate released from an Indiana prison in 2013 has died in an apparent suicide, 30 years and two weeks after the murder that sent her to prison. Paula Cooper had received the death penalty for the 1985 stabbing death of 78-year-old Ruth Pelke, who let…

May 27, 2015 9:47 AM CDT

Judge who called parents ‘knuckleheads’ and their dispute ‘retarded’ is chided by top state court

Indiana courts will tolerate a judge’s “crusty” demeanor toward litigants, if evenly applied, but a juvenile court judge in Marion County went too far, the Indiana Supreme Court has found. In a case to determine whether a teen should be placed in state custody, the state supreme court said the…

May 14, 2015 7:22 AM CDT

Wife of appellate judge charged with threatening him in effort to get son-in-law arrested

The wife of an Indiana Court of Appeals judge has been cited for obstruction and making a false report after allegedly threatening the jurist in an effort to get the couple’s son-in-law arrested. Beverly “Star” Cochran is accused of threatening Judge Edward “Ted” Najam in cellphone text messages and in…

May 12, 2015 12:45 PM CDT

Christian Legal Society plans to help man prayer station outside Indiana courthouse

It isn’t just in the courtroom that some attorneys, judges and other legal professionals hope to make a difference. The Christian Legal Society, in partnership with Courtside Ministries, is planning to staff a prayer table for those with business in the Elkhart County, Indiana, courthouse, according to the Goshen Daily…

May 11, 2015 1:20 PM CDT

Man on lawn mower charged with public intoxication; police say BAC was 5 times legal limit

An Indiana man is facing a public intoxication charge after he was pulled over on a riding lawn mower in Evansville on Saturday afternoon after police say his blood alcohol content was 0.445—more than five times the legal limit of .08, according to the Evansville Courier & Press. Witnesses called…

May 4, 2015 2:35 PM CDT

Lawyer is disbarred for ‘profoundly disturbing’ harassment of daughter’s former college roommate

An Indiana lawyer who was responsible for the bulk of more than 7,000 emails exchanged with his daughter’s former college roommate has been disbarred for the “threatening, abusive and highly manipulative” communications. Ronald Mark Keaton was 41 years old and married when he began a romantic relationship with the roommate,…

Apr 23, 2015 8:07 AM CDT

Indiana legislature tweaks religious freedom law with added LGBT protections

Updated: In an attempt to make its religious freedom law more palatable, Indiana legislators passed new legislation on Thursday which would specifically protect people from some discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. According to the Indianapolis Star, tweaks added would give new protections for LGBT customers,…

Apr 2, 2015 3:56 PM CDT

Arkansas governor says he won’t sign religious freedom bill without changes

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced on Wednesday that he won’t sign a religious freedom bill unless lawmakers revise it. Hutchinson wants the legislature to recall or amend the bill so it more closely tracks federal legislation, report the New York Times and the Washington Post. The Arkansas bill, like the…

Apr 1, 2015 11:56 AM CDT