Faegre Drinker Team Secures Indiana Supreme Court Victory

On June 21, 2023, a team of Faegre Drinker attorneys achieved an Indiana Supreme Court victory for client I-69 Development Partners. The Indiana Supreme Court affirmed a trial court decision that prevented a plaintiff from suing new defendants in a new forum after already obtaining a multimillion-dollar verdict against a trucking company and driver following a 2018 accident.

The Indiana Supreme Court ruled that issue preclusion barred the plaintiff’s duplicative claims against the new defendants while further deciding that a plaintiff seeking tort damages against both government and non-government defendants must sue all alleged tortfeasors in one lawsuit. The dismissal was affirmed with prejudice, and because the judgment was granted on the pleadings, the plaintiff could not amend her complaint.

Over the course of this matter — from trial court through appeal — the Faegre Drinker team included construction and real estate litigation partners Patrick Miller and Matthew Olsen, business litigation partners Stephanie Gutwein and Jane Dall Wilson, and construction and real estate litigation associate Cassidy Segura Clouse.