News Releases
Court of Appeals to hear case at law school
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The Indiana Court of Appeals will hear an oral argument March 23 on the campus of Valparaiso University in the case of a man accused of road rage in a crash that killed two people.
Oral arguments will be heard beginning at 11 a.m. at Valparaiso’s School of Law in Wesemann Hall. Arguments are open to the public.
Judges Nancy Vaidik, Michael Barnes and Terry Crone will be participating in the oral argument in the case of Benton Barber vs. State of Indiana. Barber was convicted last year of charges resulting from a 2004 highway crash in Indianapolis in which two teens were killed. Prosecutors said the crash was a result of road rage, and the incident prompted state legislators to increase penalties for aggressive driving.
The court is being asked to decide whether there was sufficient evidence to convict the defendant for reckless homicide and failure to stop after an accident resulting in a death, and whether the defendant’s sentence was proper.
Following oral arguments, the judges will answer questions from Valparaiso law students and the public about the judicial process.
Judge Vaidik, a VU graduate and former professor at the University’s law school, was named Domestic Violence Coalition Judge of the Year in 1996 and founded the Porter County Victim’s Assistance Office, Sexual Assault Recovery Project and Domestic Violence Service. She gave the keynote address at VU’s 2005 Peace and Justice Symposium.
The Court of Appeals is hearing its fifth case at Valparaiso’s School of Law since 2001, and the Court’s visit is sponsored by the international legal fraternity Phi Delta Phi.
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