Transgender child’s continued removal is not contrary to the CHINS-6 statute and does not violate the parents’ constitutional rights to the care, custody, and control of child or to their rights to the free exercise of religion. Parents have the right to exercise their religious beliefs, but they do not have the right to exercise them in a manner that causes physical or emotional harm to child. Trial court’s temporary restriction on the discussion of child’s transgender identity outside of family therapy does not violate the parents’ free speech rights.
Civil
Perry v. Ind. Dept. of Child Svcs., No. 22A-CT-605, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind. Ct. App., Oct. 12, 2022).
Federal civil rights violation and state law defamation claims against DCS case manager were properly dismissed for failure to state claims upon which relief could be granted; the case manager had qualified immunity.
Mellowitz v. Ball State University, No. 22A-PL-337, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind. Ct. App., Oct. 5, 2022).
Ind. Code § 34-12-5-7, which bars class actions against post-secondary educational institutions for claims of breach of contract and unjust enrichment arising from COVID-19, impermissibly conflicts with T.R. 23 and so it is a nullity.
In re Z.D., No. 22A-JC-875, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind. Ct. App., Sept. 28, 2022).
When a party’s first appearance in a case is made in person when it should have been virtual, the court should be hesitant to treat that appearance as defiant or otherwise improper. A parent who requests a contested CHINS fact-finding hearing has a constitutional right to that hearing, and a parent does not forfeit that right by appearing in person to a virtual hearing.
J.L. v. M.M., No. 22A-PO-512, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind. Ct. App., Sept. 6, 2022).
The protection order statutes should not be used as a de facto method to modify custody and/or parenting time. However, the protection order statutes offer expedited and ex parte proceedings to provide a “stop gap” to stabilize the situation until the trial court can determine the best interests of the child in a modification proceeding.