Crime Victim Relief Act (CVRA) damages are distinct from common law punitive damages; court properly awarded CVRA damages after making an “assessment of criminality.”
Appeals
Anonymous M.D. v Lockridge, No. 39A01-1509-CT-1498, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind. Ct. App., June 29, 2016).
Derivative medical malpractice claim of decedent’s children was not time-barred because the children were under the age of six at the time of the alleged negligence and under the age of eight at the time of the filing of the complaint.
Arion v. State, No. 08A02-1508-CR-1278, __N.E.3d__ (Ind. Ct. App., June 22, 2016).
Trial courts have an affirmative duty to insure a speedy trial.
Humphrey v. State, No. 48A02-1508-PC-1238, __N.E.3d__ (Ind. Ct. App., June 23, 2016).
Even twenty years after conviction, relief may be granted when trial counsel’s assistance was ineffective.
In re S.O., No. 41A01-1510-AD-1781, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind. Ct. App., June 22, 2016).
A criminal background check that complies with Ind. Code §31-9-2-22.5 is necessary to the adoption process; its absence renders an adoption petition fatally deficient. Also, the adoption court should consolidate the paternity action before issuing its adoption decree.