Freight Masters files bankruptcy after losing business from Chrysler, Boeing
The minority-owned logistics firm is also involved in a legal battle with a Washington state firm over the loss of its Boeing
business.
Lawsuits
Articles
Judge fines woman waging Web war against plastic surgeon
Judge Sarah Evans Barker declared a Massachusetts woman in contempt of court for failing to remove her negative Internet
postings about an Indianapolis cosmetic surgeon.
Local funeral home operator interested in troubled Memory Gardens
Indianapolis-based Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service & Crematory is one of two companies that have emerged as potential
suitors of the embattled Memory Gardens Management Corp.
Editorial writers lose appeal against Star
Two former editorial writers at Indiana’s largest newspaper failed to prove they were the victims of religious discrimination,
according to a circuit court of appeals.
Class-action suit seeks millions for Fair Finance investors
Attorneys on Friday afternoon filed a class-action lawsuit seeking to rescind $200 million in investor purchases of Fair
Finance Co. securities and to slap Tim Durham and other company insiders with millions of dollars in punitive
damages.
Man claims being denied job over beard, turban
Indirjit Singh of Greenwood is suing Atlanta-based Air Serv Corp. in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis for religious discrimination.
State sues teachers’ union for securities fraud
The Indiana Secretary of State’s securities division says Indiana State Teachers Association can’t account for $23 million
intended for
school districts, requests assets be frozen.
Symons and family ordered to pay $34.2 million in fraudulent transfer case
A high-profile businessman and the Indianapolis companies he operated with family members have been ordered by a federal judge to pay $34.2 million relating to the fraudulent transfer of assets in a business sale.
Former Huntington National Bank exec alleges age discrimination
Michael Lewis, 53, filed a complaint with the Indianapolis office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission Aug. 13 and sued Huntington Oct. 15 in Marion Superior Court.
Troubled homebuilder’s funds frozen after failing to pay judgment
A Marion County judge has frozen certain Hansen & Horn Group Inc. funds after the Indianapolis homebuilder failed to pay
a $183,000 legal judgment. The move sheds light on the severity
of the company’s woes.
Premier lays off workers as lawsuits, debt pile up
Premier Properties USA Inc. has eliminated about half its headquarters staff—more than 40 employees—as banks seize
several of its properties and CEO Christopher P. White faces a barrage of new lawsuits alleging unpaid bills, defaulted loans,
illegally redirected rent payments and check fraud.
SPECIAL REPORT: Financial travails dog ‘mystery man’ at helm of Premier Properties
An IBJ review of hundreds of pages of public records shows Christopher P. White and his Premier
Properties USA Inc. are facing major financial and legal challenges. The most glaring signs of trouble: Contractors have filed
more than $3.5 million in liens against Premier’s retail properties in Plainfield; the state of Indiana is trying to
recover $375,000 in sales taxes on White’s airplane; and the contractor who renovated his Lake Clearwater mansion
is suing him to recover more than $600,000 in unpaid bills.
Inlow estate decision reversed by high court
The Indiana Supreme Court on Wednesday delivered some good news to the widow of former Conseco Inc. Chief Counsel Lawrence
Inlow, reversing a lower court’s order that she pay his estate $284,034 for funeral expenses.
Vonage to settle investigation involving 32 states
Internet phone service provider Vonage Holdings Corp. will pay $3 million to 32 states, including Indiana, and provide refunds
to affected customers.
Lilly to pay Utah $24 million to settle Zyprexa suit
Eli Lilly and Co. has agreed to pay Utah $24 million to settle a lawsuit claiming the company improperly marketed the antipsychotic
drug Zyprexa.
Failed Charlotte skyscraper brings Indianapolis developer back to earth
The Flaherty & Collins project—dubbed 210 Trade—would have been the tallest residential building in the Carolinas, with more floors
than any building in the region except the Charlotte headquarters of Bank of America Corp.
Anderson gas-station chain sues BP after 32-store deal sours
Ricker Oil’s Oct. 22 suit claims British petroleum giant BP is charging unjustified royalty fees while delivering no boost
from its national advertising, its proprietary IT system or its bulk purchase pricing.
Concrete firm agrees to pay $29M in price-fixing case
A lawyer says Irving Materials Inc. has agreed to pay $29 million to settle a class-action antitrust lawsuit alleging it and
six other companies conspired to fix the price of ready-mixed concrete.
Lilly settles Zyprexa case with S. Carolina for $45M
South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster said Friday that the state has reached a $45 million settlement with drug maker
Eli Lilly and Co. over the company’s marketing of an anti-psychotic drug.
Related-party loans pile up at Durham-owned finance firm
Indianapolis businessman Tim Durham has treated Ohio-based Fair Finance Co. almost like a personal bank since buying it seven
years ago, and now he, his partners and related firms owe it more than $168 million, records show.