Jennifer Nelson for www.theindianaalwyer.com

Children who were afraid of their stepfather and whose behavior changed after their mother remarried should now be in the custody of their father, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed Thursday.

Jessica and Brian Robertson have two children, K.R., born in 2006, and C.R., born in 2007. The couple divorced in 2010 and Jessica Robertson was granted custody. She married Damien Terry in October 2014, and friends and family noticed significant changes in the children’s behavior. Terry also monitored their conversations with their father and often told them what to say. Even Jessica Robertson’s family believed it would be in the kids’ best interests to live with their father.

Brian Robertson, who was in the military at the time, asked for custody in February 2015, and a guardian ad litem was appointed. He planned on being discharged by October of that year and would relocate to be near the children. The GAL recommended the children be placed with the father because mother put her husband before the children, Terry was not a proper role model (he had a criminal record and tried to isolate his wife and stepchildren), and it was not in the best interest for the children to remain in mother’s custody.

The trial court ordered father temporary emergency custody until further order of the court, but mother appealed before a final custody modification order had been entered. Upon order of the COA, the trial court issued its final order in January 2016, granting father custody.

Mother appealed, but father claimed she failed to file a timely notice of appeal, since she didn’t appeal after the January order. The appellate judges, relying on In re Adoption of O.R., 16 N.E.3d 971 (Ind. 2014), decided to address the merits of the case. In doing so, they affirmed the trial court’s decision.

The judges agreed mother’s marriage was a substantial change in circumstances relating to the children and that modification of custody in favor of father is in their best interests. The children were afraid of their stepfather; K.R. had previously asked his grandmother to call the police so he wouldn’t have to return to his mother’s house. Terry had also slapped C.H. for laughing at the dinner table and was arrested for driving while suspended when K.R. was in the car.

The case is Jessica Robertson v. Brian Robertson, 54A01-1509-DR-1374.

Indianapolis – Shield Global Partners announced plans today to grow its headquarters in Evansville, where the company will expand to fulfill recently-awarded contracts with General Motors and Mercedes-Benz. As part of its growth, the company plans to create up to 135 new jobs over the next few years.

“With today’s news from Shield Global Partners, it’s clear that Indiana’s pro-growth, low-regulation environment is helping businesses build and expand here in the Hoosier state,” said Governor Mike Pence. “Across the state, Hoosier entrepreneurs and their teams are developing new technologies to help advance economic growth in Indiana. As we look ahead, Indiana is committed to supporting the growth of start-up and scale-up companies like Shield Global Partners by investing $1 billion over the next 10 years to help entrepreneurs find success and create more quality jobs across Indiana.”

The company will invest $4.15 million to lease and equip a 16,000-square-foot office on the third floor of Innovation Pointe, a high-tech business incubator in Evansville. Shield Global Partners, which provides analytics, appraisals and claim services for leased vehicles involved in automotive accidents, streamlines the process for auto manufacturers’ captives to pursue claims for vehicle damage after accident reports are filed with the police.

Since relocating from its former 2,000-square-foot offices on Burkhardt Road earlier this month, the company has grown to service nearly 2 million vehicles through its Vehicle Monitoring Service, adding new vehicles to its system as they are leased. As part of its growth, the company projects that it will be serving 5 million vehicles traveling on roads across the United States by 2018.

“I chose Evansville to launch Shield due to the success of bringing a previous company’s expansion to the tristate area in 2006,” said Wayne Collins, president and chief executive officer of Shield Global Partners. “From downtown Evansville’s central location to the great talent working in the area, Indiana is the perfect place for us to grow this business.”

Shield Global Partners, which currently employs 43 associates between its offices in Evansville and Atlanta, Georgia, is currently hiring for claim, collection and adjusting positions. Interested applicants may apply by sending a resume to HR Solutions or calling 812.476.3180.

Founded in 2012, Shield Global Partners is led by Collins, who has 23 years of experience in executive claims management and appraisal development and methodologies. The company’s board of directors includes Paul Halata, the former chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz, as well as Don Dees, a former general manager of Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Indiana.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Shield Global Partners LLC up to $800,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $100,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. These incentives are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Evansville approved additional incentives at the request of the Growth Alliance of Greater Evansville.

“I am excited that Shield Global Partners is committed to staying in our community and expanding its operations in downtown Evansville at this new, high-tech headquarters at Innovation Pointe,” said Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke. “The company has grown quickly in a short period of time, and with assistance from the Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville, Shield Global Partners is poised for even greater success in the near future.”

Shield Global Partners’ news follows Governor Pence’s announcement earlier this month that Indiana plans to invest $1 billion into innovation and entrepreneurship in the state over the next 10 years. Through the initiative, Indiana will work to strengthen and accelerate Hoosier innovation by supporting entrepreneurial cultures and investment in co-working spaces and business incubators like Innovation Pointe in Evansville, leveraging strategic partnerships, and increasing support and capital for start-up and scale-up companies like Shield Global Partners. With the growth of these entrepreneurial companies, Indiana has added 147,800 private sector jobs in just the last three and a half years.