Nickel Plate Trail landowners secure $7.6M in federal settlement
The settlement involves 168 property owners along more than 20 miles of the trail from just south of East 16th Street in Indianapolis to just west of the White River in Noblesville.
Law
Exonerated man sues Indianapolis police, alleges he was framed for murder
Leon Benson spent 25 years at the Correctional Industrial Facility in Pendleton for the 1998 murder of Kasey Schoen, but was exonerated last year.
AG Rokita to be unopposed at Indiana GOP convention
Despite speculation that others might challenge him for the office, Attorney General Todd Rokita was the only candidate to file with Indiana’s GOP office by the deadline.
AG Rokita warns universities they could lose funding over antisemitism on campuses
Letters were sent to the trustee boards at Indiana University, Purdue University, Ball State University, Indiana State University, IUPUI, University of Southern Indiana, Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University.
Are tacos and burritos sandwiches? A judge in Indiana ruled yes.
A developer of the shopping center property wanted to allow the Famous Taco restaurant to open there, but a nearby condominium association raised concerns that the business violated the property’s zoning policy.
Content creators sue U.S. government over law that could ban TikTok
Attorneys for the creators argue in the lawsuit that the law violates users’ First Amendment rights to free speech, echoing arguments made by TikTok in a separate lawsuit filed by the company last week. The legal challenge could end up before the Supreme Court.
AG sues former sheriff over nearly $4.5M in ‘unlawful’ purchases
Former sheriff Jamey Noel and members of his family are accused of using public money to pay for everything from designer clothes to college tuition to a small airplane.
Delta-8 legal clarification unlikely as Statehouse stalemate persists
Delta-8, a marijuana-like drug, has grown into a billion-dollar Hoosier industry. But it’s done so on shaky legal ground, leaving retailers and law enforcement officials alike seeking legislative clarification: is delta-8 allowed in Indiana?
FTC’s new noncompete ban allows exceptions for mergers
A sale-of-business provision in the agency’s new rules permits entering into a noncompete with a person who is selling a business or disposing of all of the person’s ownership interest in a business in a “bona fide sale.”
New rules add clarity to Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
The EEOC’s final rules are considered by many to be a win over discrimination against pregnant workers. But some oppose provisions that offer time off and other job accommodations for abortions.
Small, solo law firms grapple with data security, costs
One of the big challenges with data security is keeping in compliance with the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct, which deal with confidentiality of information in the attorney-client relationship.
Indianapolis police open investigation into ball-throwing altercation at Pacers game
Police are probing an “NBA player and citizen” altercation that happened at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on the night Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley twice threw a ball at fans in the final minutes of a season-ending loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Republican congressmen introduce bill that would protect NCAA, conferences from legal attacks
The Protect The Ball Act is intended to provide legal safe harbor for the entities that run college sport, which has been under siege from antitrust lawsuits.
Indiana Supreme Court hands down suspension, probation for Indianapolis attorney
The attorney was disciplined for his refusal to refund fees to a client after not filing a sentence modification petition.
Employees increasingly taking legal action over office mandates
As more companies across the United States take a hard-line stance on office mandates, an increasing number of workers are elevating their complaints to court and federal labor agencies.
National accounting firm accused of fraud affecting more than 1,500 SEC filings
One of the nation’s most prolific auditors, BF Borgers faces permanent suspension from practicing as accountants before the SEC and a total of $14 million in fines.
Judge in landmark antitrust case grills Google during closing arguments
The judge overseeing a pivotal antitrust trial focused on whether Google is stifling competition and innovation repeatedly indicated Thursday that he believes it would be difficult for a formidable rival search engine to emerge.
Indiana Attorney General Rokita weighs in on pronouns in the workplace
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita issued a ruling Wednesday, saying that “neither state nor federal law requires a coworker to use the preferred pronouns and names of fellow employees.”
FTC’s new noncompete rule ripples out into Indiana
State lawmakers have been wrestling with the agreements for several years. And now a “huge” ruling from the Federal Trade Commission could ban the use of noncompetes for all but the highest earners if it survives legal scrutiny.
Eight major newspapers join legal backlash against OpenAI, Microsoft
The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI and Microsoft used copyrighted newspaper articles to train their algorithms without compensating content owners.