Federal judge voids mask mandate for planes, other travel
The judge’s decision freed airlines, airports and mass transit systems to make their own decisions about mask requirements, resulting in a mix of responses.
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U.S. businesses get hit with record numbers of disability lawsuits
Associations and business owners say serial plaintiffs filing dozens or hundreds of cases are increasingly using the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act to extract tens of thousands of dollars in settlements—and not to promote access as the landmark law intended.
Former Seven Corners employee sentenced for role in fraud scheme
Maria Caceres, who worked for travel insurance company Seven Corners from 1998 to 2016, pleaded guilty to wire fraud last year. She was sentenced to federal prison Thursday and ordered to repay more than $496,000 to Seven Corners.
Citizens Energy teams with city, state leaders to announce lawsuits aimed at ‘bad actor’ apartment owners
The landlords are many months and more than $2 million behind on utility bills, putting more than a thousand households at risk of homelessness should Citizens Energy Group cut utility services to the complexes.
Citizens Energy sues apartment complexes for $1.3M in unpaid bills
The lawsuit also alleges that the owners of the complexes defrauded both Citizens Energy Group and residents by collecting payments that the owners said would go to utilities—but didn’t.
Former state senator Waltz pleads guilty to felony campaign finance violations
Former state Sen. Brent Waltz pleaded guilty on Monday to two felonies related to an FBI investigation into his role in receiving illegal campaign donations from a casino.
Appeals court OKs Biden’s federal employee vaccine mandate
The administration argued that the Constitution gives the president, as the head of the federal workforce, the same authority as the CEO of a private corporation to require that employees be vaccinated.
Jackson confirmed as first Black female high court justice
The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.
Indiana Supreme Court weighing dispute over emergency law
The Indiana Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday from both parties’ attorneys over the merits of who has the constitutional right to call a special session.
Appeals court rules Indiana not liable for AG Hill’s misconduct
Three of the four women who accused former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill of groping them cannot sue the state, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled, finding the legislative staffers were employed by the Indiana House and Senate, not the state itself.
Former Indiana AG Hill leading mock grand jury against Fauci, website says
Former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has, until recently, kept a relatively low profile since he lost his re-election bid at the 2020 Indiana GOP convention, when Republicans selected Attorney General Todd Rokita as their nominee.
Three finalists chosen for Indiana high court’s upcoming vacancy
The high court said Tuesday that in selecting the three finalists the commission considered the applicants’ “legal education, writings, reputation in the practice of law, and other pertinent information.”
Carmel man gets two years in federal prison for defrauding ad agency
U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker ordered Jeffrey Gasior to pay restitution of $736,221 after he pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud.
Appeals court allows students’ COVID breach suits vs. IU, Purdue to proceed
Lawsuits filed by students at Indiana and Purdue universities alleging breaches of contract when the schools moved to online learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic will continue, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled.
Indiana among 21 states to file suit to end transportation mask mandate
The effort in mostly Republican-led states is the latest effort seeking to abolish the mandate, put into place in February 2021, shortly after President Joe Biden took office.
Supreme Court to hear case that could affect Indiana pork farmers
While the issue stems from California animal-welfare policy, it could have a far-reaching impact on Indiana, which ranks fifth in the U.S. for pork farming.
FTC sues Intuit to stop ‘bait-and-switch’ TurboTax ads
The consumer protection agency said Tuesday that millions of consumers cannot actually use the free tax-prep software option—two-thirds of tax filers in 2020. They are ineligible, the agency says, if they are gig workers or earn farm income, for example.
Rokita reaches resolution with political pundit over press conference access
The joint stipulation motion states the parties agree that Abdul-Hakim Shabazz is “not barred from future in-person press conferences” held by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and will be “allowed admission consistent with terms and conditions” placed on other media.
Braun: Supreme Court should leave decisions on interracial marriage, abortion to states
During a conference call to discuss the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, Sen. Mike Braun from Indiana said he’d welcome the rescinding of several key decisions made by the court in the past 70 years to pass the power to the states.
Top colleges accused of violating Black athletes’ rights
A group that advocates for college athletes has filed a federal complaint that claims NCAA Division I schools are violating the civil rights of Black basketball players and major college football players by prohibiting compensation.