On June 26, Taft won an important appellate victory in the Indiana Supreme Court on behalf of a victim of domestic abuse. Taft Indianapolis attorneys Matt Albaugh and Brittni Wassmer represented our clients pro bono as part of Taft’s continuing commitment to provide pro bono services to our communities. Taft supported the petitioner’s efforts to overturn a divided Indiana Court of Appeals panel. Albaugh and Wassmer filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV), the Battered Women’s Justice Project, the Center for Victim and Human Rights, and the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking.

In this case, the Indiana Supreme Court found the father did “represent a credible threat” to mother and her child and affirmed the issuance of a two-year protective order against the father.

Ten percent of all new lawsuits in Indiana involve an intimate partner or person’s request for a protective order. This decision marks the second time the Indiana Supreme Court has weighed in on Indiana’s Protective Order Statute. Taft has been involved on a pro bono basis with both cases.

Albaugh is a long-time advocate for the ICADV, Indiana’s state coalition for domestic violence programs. He works with ICADV to identify legal issues relevant to the survivors of domestic abuse and affect positive change in the law through Indiana’s appellate courts. He is a partner in Taft’s Commercial Litigation and Product Liability practices and a leader of Taft’s M&A Litigation team, advising boards and executives on busted deals, corporate governance, fiduciary duties, and related matters.

Wassmer is an associate in the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice. Before joining Taft, she was a law clerk to the Hon. Chief Justice Loretta Rush of the Indiana Supreme Court.

The case is S.D. v. N.D., Case No. 23S-PO-89 (Ind., June 26, 2023).