Marks Historic Moment As The First Indiana Governor in 104 Years To Certify Electors Who Will Vote For Him As Vice President Of The United States

Indianapolis – Today, Vice President-elect Governor Mike Pence signed the certification of Indiana’s 11 electors who will cast their electoral votes for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence on December 19. Vice President-elect Governor Mike Pence is the first Indiana governor in 104 years to certify electors who will vote for him as vice president of the United States. In 1912, Indiana Governor Thomas R. Marshall, vice president-elect with Woodrow Wilson, certified the very electors that voted for him and Woodrow Wilson when the electoral college convened.

The law requires the Governor to sign these documents in order to certify each of Indiana’s electors. Each governor is required by law to certify the electors from their respective state for each presidential election. Secretary of State Connie Lawson’s office delivered the official, original copies for the Governor’s certification of the “duly elected (and now) appointed Electors for President and Vice President of the United States in and for the State of Indiana.” Governor Pence’s office has returned the signed documents to the Secretary of State’s office.

Vice President-elect Governor Mike Pence signing the Certificate of Ascertainment of Appointment of Presidential Electors. 

The Southwest Association of Nursing Students (SWANS) at Ivy Tech Community College has raised $3,365.33 for the social service agency Aurora, through a barbecued meat sale.

The students decided they wanted to do something to assist the organization that serves homeless individuals in the area, following USI’s multi-institutional Symposium on Homelessness where they first heard of what Aurora does and its mission from Brian Kerney, executive director. Aurora’s mission states, “We believe that our community and its families will be stronger when everyone has a safe, decent and sustainable place to call home.” Kerney said that Aurora’s mission is similar to what nurses do. “We give tender loving care to people who have fallen into a pit and don’t know how to get out – and then we show them the way.”

In May 2016, Aurora and several other community agencies, learned their programs were not going to be funded in the federal Housing and Urban Development’s latest grant cycle, nor in the future.

Ivy Tech nursing students were moved to action. “We were impressed and amazed at all the great things they do. When we heard of them losing funding, we knew we had to do something,” said Ivy Tech student Lana Seibert. “We, as individuals and as nursing students, have a very similar background. We are all very compassionate and caring people. We want to be a light in the dark. We saw a local organization that was in need of help. Aurora does SO much for the community and the individuals in it. They deserved to have the same done for them.”

The Human Services student organization at Ivy Tech also raised over $200 for the agency.

Indianapolis – Today, Vice President-elect Governor Mike Pence and First Lady Karen Pence welcomed more than 250 K-5 students to the Statehouse for their annual tree lighting event.

“The Governor and I enjoyed welcoming Hoosier children to the Statehouse today,” First Lady Karen Pence said. “The experiences and memories we create year after year during this annual holiday tradition are ones which the Governor and I have come to cherish.  We were thrilled to once again this year spend  time with the students in attendance by helping them decorate an ornament to take home with them – a memento the children and their families will be able to enjoy for years to come.”

Each grade level was designated a different ornament—specially designed by the First Lady—to make during the program. After the decorating was complete, a student representative from each school in attendance helped light the trees in the Statehouse Rotunda.

Trees were donated by the Indiana Christmas Tree Growers Association and the wreath hanging above them was handcrafted and donated by the Friends of the Indiana State Archives.

Students included in today’s program were from Maplewood Elementary School, Burge-Terrace Home Educators, Caritas Christi, Center For Inquiry #84, Damar, and Zion Lutheran.

Also during today’s festivities, Governor Pence read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to students.

Former CIB Chiefs Try To Avoid Entanglement In Legal Light Involving Pacers

Anthony Schoettle for www.theindianalawyer.com

Three former presidents of the city’s Capital Improvement Board—Pat Early, Bob Grand and Ann Lathrop—are fighting an effort by attorneys for the IRS to depose them about what they learned about the Indiana Pacers’ finances during discussions with the team.

The CIB owns Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the NBA’s Pacers. And over the trio’s terms, the CIB has negotiated lease deals, subsidy plans and expenditures for capital projects for the venue, which opened in 1999.

The legal skirmish is an outgrowth of a lawsuit Mel Simon’s widow, Bren Simon, filed in March 2015 seeking to overturn the IRS’ determination that Mel’s sale of his half of the team to his brother Herb in early 2009—just months before Mel died at age 82—was such a sweetheart deal that Mel effecitvely provided an $83 million gift. That conclusion left Bren with a $21 million gift-tax bill, which she paid under protest but hopes to get refunded by winning the suit.

Attorneys with Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP representing the CIB filed a motion in federal court in Indianapolis on Nov. 30 seeking to quash the deposition subpoenas. It calls them “overly burdensome” and says “allowing these depositions to go forward would harm the public interest by discouraging civic board membership and by unfairly imposing the costs of litigation between Bren Simon and the federal government on the citizens of Marion County, Indiana.”

Further, the three executives say in declarations filed with the court that they do not recall specific infomation about the value of the team during the period relevant to the Bren Simon lawsuit. They also assert that information they do have merely duplicates what the IRS has or is in the process of getting from the Pacers and Simons.

“The key issue in the underlying … litigation is whether Melvin Simon had donative intent—i.e. the intent to make a gift to Herb Simon—nearly seven years ago when the Simons reorganized the ownership structure of the Pacers,” the motion to quash says. “None of the CIB Former Board Members possess any information about Mr. Simon’s intent with respect to the reorganization.”

Bren’s attorneys contend that Mel received “full consideration” for his half of the team. They said in a court filing that “Herb and Mel were savvy and experienced businessmen, both skilled in making business deals and interested in striking the best deal for themselves.”

The IRS also has sparred with the Pacers over what information the team should provide and under what terms—a logjam that was recently broken. Under a protective order worked out last month, the Pacers agreed to provide a batch of information by Nov. 28 and another batch by Dec. 16.

Early, Grand and Lathrop are described in the motion to quash as holding “high-profile and demanding leadership positions” and also being active in civic affairs. Each says in declarations filed with the court that “attending a deposition in this matter would pose a substantial burden and hardship on me. My schedule is very rigorous.”

Early, president of the Somerset CPAs and Advisors accounting firm, was president of the CIB from 1994 to 1999 and was vice president from 2000 to 2009.

Grand, managing partner of the Barnes & Thornburg law firm, was CIB president from 2008 to 2010.

Lathrop, chief marketing officer and office managing partner for the Indianapolis office of the Crowe Horwarth LLP accounting firm, was CIB treasurer in 2008-2009 and president from 2010-2015.

The CIB—which also owns Lucas Oil Stadium, Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center—is funded by a stew of local and regional taxes, many of

Three former presidents of the city’s Capital Improvement Board—Pat Early, Bob Grand and Ann Lathrop—are fighting an effort by attorneys for the IRS to depose them about what they learned about the Indiana Pacers’ finances during discussions with the team.

The CIB owns Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the NBA’s Pacers. And over the trio’s terms, the CIB has negotiated lease deals, subsidy plans and expenditures for capital projects for the venue, which opened in 1999.

The legal skirmish is an outgrowth of a lawsuit Mel Simon’s widow, Bren Simon, filed in March 2015 seeking to overturn the IRS’ determination that Mel’s sale of his half of the team to his brother Herb in early 2009—just months before Mel died at age 82—was such a sweetheart deal that Mel effecitvely provided an $83 million gift. That conclusion left Bren with a $21 million gift-tax bill, which she paid under protest but hopes to get refunded by winning the suit.

Attorneys with Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP representing the CIB filed a motion in federal court in Indianapolis on Nov. 30 seeking to quash the deposition subpoenas. It calls them “overly burdensome” and says “allowing these depositions to go forward would harm the public interest by discouraging civic board membership and by unfairly imposing the costs of litigation between Bren Simon and the federal government on the citizens of Marion County, Indiana.”

Further, the three executives say in declarations filed with the court that they do not recall specific infomation about the value of the team during the period relevant to the Bren Simon lawsuit. They also assert that information they do have merely duplicates what the IRS has or is in the process of getting from the Pacers and Simons.

“The key issue in the underlying … litigation is whether Melvin Simon had donative intent—i.e. the intent to make a gift to Herb Simon—nearly seven years ago when the Simons reorganized the ownership structure of the Pacers,” the motion to quash says. “None of the CIB Former Board Members possess any information about Mr. Simon’s intent with respect to the reorganization.”

Bren’s attorneys contend that Mel received “full consideration” for his half of the team. They said in a court filing that “Herb and Mel were savvy and experienced businessmen, both skilled in making business deals and interested in striking the best deal for themselves.”

The IRS also has sparred with the Pacers over what information the team should provide and under what terms—a logjam that was recently broken. Under a protective order worked out last month, the Pacers agreed to provide a batch of information by Nov. 28 and another batch by Dec. 16.

Early, Grand and Lathrop are described in the motion to quash as holding “high-profile and demanding leadership positions” and also being active in civic affairs. Each says in declarations filed with the court that “attending a deposition in this matter would pose a substantial burden and hardship on me. My schedule is very rigorous.”

Early, president of the Somerset CPAs and Advisors accounting firm, was president of the CIB from 1994 to 1999 and was vice president from 2000 to 2009.

Grand, managing partner of the Barnes & Thornburg law firm, was CIB president from 2008 to 2010.

Lathrop, chief marketing officer and office managing partner for the Indianapolis office of the Crowe Horwarth LLP accounting firm, was CIB treasurer in 2008-2009 and president from 2010-2015.

The CIB—which also owns Lucas Oil Stadium, Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center—is funded by a stew of local and regional taxes, many of for www.theindianalawyer.com

Three former presidents of the city’s Capital Improvement Board—Pat Early, Bob Grand and Ann Lathrop—are fighting an effort by attorneys for the IRS to depose them about what they learned about the Indiana Pacers’ finances during discussions with the team.

The CIB owns Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the NBA’s Pacers. And over the trio’s terms, the CIB has negotiated lease deals, subsidy plans and expenditures for capital projects for the venue, which opened in 1999.

The legal skirmish is an outgrowth of a lawsuit Mel Simon’s widow, Bren Simon, filed in March 2015 seeking to overturn the IRS’ determination that Mel’s sale of his half of the team to his brother Herb in early 2009—just months before Mel died at age 82—was such a sweetheart deal that Mel effecitvely provided an $83 million gift. That conclusion left Bren with a $21 million gift-tax bill, which she paid under protest but hopes to get refunded by winning the suit.

Attorneys with Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP representing the CIB filed a motion in federal court in Indianapolis on Nov. 30 seeking to quash the deposition subpoenas. It calls them “overly burdensome” and says “allowing these depositions to go forward would harm the public interest by discouraging civic board membership and by unfairly imposing the costs of litigation between Bren Simon and the federal government on the citizens of Marion County, Indiana.”

Further, the three executives say in declarations filed with the court that they do not recall specific infomation about the value of the team during the period relevant to the Bren Simon lawsuit. They also assert that information they do have merely duplicates what the IRS has or is in the process of getting from the Pacers and Simons.

“The key issue in the underlying … litigation is whether Melvin Simon had donative intent—i.e. the intent to make a gift to Herb Simon—nearly seven years ago when the Simons reorganized the ownership structure of the Pacers,” the motion to quash says. “None of the CIB Former Board Members possess any information about Mr. Simon’s intent with respect to the reorganization.”

Bren’s attorneys contend that Mel received “full consideration” for his half of the team. They said in a court filing that “Herb and Mel were savvy and experienced businessmen, both skilled in making business deals and interested in striking the best deal for themselves.”

The IRS also has sparred with the Pacers over what information the team should provide and under what terms—a logjam that was recently broken. Under a protective order worked out last month, the Pacers agreed to provide a batch of information by Nov. 28 and another batch by Dec. 16.

Early, Grand and Lathrop are described in the motion to quash as holding “high-profile and demanding leadership positions” and also being active in civic affairs. Each says in declarations filed with the court that “attending a deposition in this matter would pose a substantial burden and hardship on me. My schedule is very rigorous.”

Early, president of the Somerset CPAs and Advisors accounting firm, was president of the CIB from 1994 to 1999 and was vice president from 2000 to 2009.

Grand, managing partner of the Barnes & Thornburg law firm, was CIB president from 2008 to 2010.

Lathrop, chief marketing officer and office managing partner for the Indianapolis office of the Crowe Horwarth LLP accounting firm, was CIB treasurer in 2008-2009 and president from 2010-2015.

The CIB—which also owns Lucas Oil Stadium, Victory Field and the Indiana Convention Center—is funded by a stew of local and regional taxes, many of