Commercial Courts Move Closer to Reality

The Indiana Supreme Court is moving forward with plans for trial courts dealing specifically with business-related litigation. The commercial courts will be led by specially-trained judges, who could begin hearing cases next year. Chief Justice Loretta Rush first highlighted the concept publicly in January during her first State of the Judiciary Address. At the time, she said the new court's objective would be to help promote “an attractive, predictable and consistent” business climate in the state.

Tuesday, the Supreme Court unanimously approved the naming of group to recommend policies and procedures for the new court. You can connect to the full list of Indiana

Commercial Court Working Group members by clicking here. Recommendations will come from contributors ranging from Indiana Chamber of Commerce President Kevin Brinegar to former Justice Frank Sullivan. Allen Superior Court Judge Craig Bobay will chair the group.

State Representative Tom Washburne (R-64), who works for Evansville-based Old National Bancorp (Nasdaq: ONB) and is also part of the working group, says commercial court “will free up Indiana's judicial system to better handle the complexity of modern business litigation.”

Each party involved in a case must agree to be heard in commercial courts to “have their dispute resolved through the specialized docket.