Penrod Society sues ex-treasurer for $380,000
The Penrod Society has filed a lawsuit against former treasurer Brandon Benker, seeking to recover
more than $380,000 it alleges he embezzled last year.
Law
Articles
Cemetery owner to plead guilty to theft, fraud
A cemetery owner set to go on trial Monday has agreed to plead guilty to theft and securities fraud.
Dueling Franklins iron out trademark dispute
Indiana-based Franklin College and Ohio-based Franklin University resolved their legal case last night, with Franklin University
agreeing to take specific steps in its advertisements to distinguish itself from Franklin College.
Lauth’s lawyers raking in big fees in bankruptcy reorganization
Developer Lauth Group Inc. is sparing no expense on attorneys in the Chapter 11 reorganization of key subsidiaries. The company has hired two of the nation’s most prominent bankruptcy and restructuring specialists to handle the cases, and the bill for the first month easily will exceed $1 million.
ALTOM: Technology moves too fast for law to keep up
Technologists don’t usually give the law a basketful of respect. From our point of view, the law is struggling frantically to stay within a hundred yards of our bleeding edge. By the time the law gets around to speaking on a technical subject, the subject may not even exist anymore.
Hilbert in-law’s life insurance dispute takes odd turn
Local businessman J.B. Carlson contends the $15 million life insurance policy he took out on Stephen Hilbert’s mother-in-law
was legitimate, because she served on his firm’s board and was a key decision-maker. The mother-in-law, Germaine
“Suzy” Tomlinson, died at age 74 last September—just 32 months after the policy was issued.
Noblesville man sentenced for mortgage fraud
A Noblesville man was sentenced to one year of home detention yesterday after pleading guilty to mortgage fraud in federal
court. Marvin G. Hampton also was ordered to pay $262,424.76 in restitution to three lending institutions.
Local firms recognized for pro bono work
Led by Baker & Daniels LLP, Indianapolis’ three largest law firms are recognized in the July issue of The American
Lawyer magazine for their pro bono work.
Carson vs. Chrysler, round one
U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indianapolis, is taking on General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Corp. in the name of crash victims.
Pets, often overlooked in wills, are getting more attention
While most people consider their family members and funeral costs in estate planning, many overlook their babies who happen
to have four legs, a tail, feathers or even scales. A pet trust is a good solution.
KELLER: The party’s over for IU Law grads as stapped firms trim opportunities
Fledgling attorneys face a legal industry in defensive mode, resulting in drooping employment figures.
ABEL: End in sight for ‘pig in a poke’ hourly billing by law firms
Fed up with excessive fees, some clients have started demanding alternatives to the tried-and-true methods, such as “value-based
legal services.”
Despite what you might think, lawyers are compartatively scarce in Indiana
Only North and South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin have smaller proportions of lawyers within their working populations.
Experts point to the state’s shrinking base of corporate HQs, the exodus of law school graduates, and a less litigious climate
overall.
Cummins sues insurers over $381M in flood claims
Cummins Inc. is battling its insurers in court, saying they’re refusing to pay
most of the company’s $381 million in claims stemming from the flood that immersed its southern Indiana
facilities a year ago.
Ice Miller still in merger talks with Louisville law firm
The city’s third-largest law firm is poised to tie the knot with Kentucky’s Greenebaum Doll & McDonald. But differences in the way the firms compensate partners are taking longer than expected to sort out.
Judge slams law firm Bose over ‘misrepresentations’ in Red Spot case
Bose McKinney & Evans’ defense of an Evansville company in a high-stakes environmental-contamination lawsuit has degenerated
into a fiasco, with a federal judge sanctioning both the client Red Spot Paint & Varnish Co. and law firm and ordering
each to pay half the plaintiff’s
legal bills.
Indiana logs more complaints against collectors as pressure mounts to make debtors pay up
A lot of people owe money these days, and some of the agencies hired to pursue them are resorting to old- school tactics to
collect. Things like calling at all hours, threatening to have debtors jailed or fired, or employing abusive language.
Lauth granted reprieve
A judge has given Lauth Group Inc. a reprieve from an equity investor that is seeking to take control of most of the developer’s
properties.
IPL wins retiree benefit dispute
Indianapolis Power & Light could have been on the hook for more than $100 million in retirement benefits, but a ruling this month by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission allows IPL to keep the money.
Eight former employees who say firings were racially motivated agree to $2.75M settlement from Lottery
The Hoosier Lottery has agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle a lawsuit filed by eight black former employees who claim racial
discrimination motivated their firing four years ago.