Superior Court Chief Judge Mary Margaret Lloyd announces the restructuring of the current court system

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Krista Hamby Weiberg
Vanderburgh Superior Court
Administrator
Phone: (812)435-5469

VANDERBURGH SUPERIOR COURT TO RESTRUCTURE ENTIRE COURT SYSTEM
EVANSVILLE, IN:

Superior Court Chief Judge Mary Margaret Lloyd announced the restructuring of the current court system in Vanderburgh County for the first time in over thirty (30) years. On September 1, 2012, Superior Court will create more specialized courts. Sweeping changes are being made in how the Courts address Class D Felony drug/alcohol offenses, juvenile court, and paternity cases. Lloyd stated the seven (7) Superior Court Judges along with Judge Carl A. Heldt of the Vanderburgh Circuit Courts have been collaborating on changing their system for months to address the pressing needs in our community.

“With the problems caused by methamphetamine and other illicit drug use on the rise, we knew we needed to address addictions at an earlier stage in court. Strong court intervention for the addict arrested for drug possession will hopefully stop the addict before he or she is arrested down the line for creating a methamphetamine lab,” Lloyd said. The Courts’ plan will utilize Judge Wayne S. Trockman’s expertise in court interdiction with addicts by assigning him to handle all Class D felony drug and alcohol cases filed in Superior and Circuit Court in addition to continuing his duties with the Drug Treatment Court. Judge Robert J. Pigman will be assigned to adjudicate all other felonies filed in Superior Court.

The Court restructuring will also allow more time and resources to be devoted to abused and neglected children. Juvenile Judge Brett J. Niemeier noted he sees more neglect cases and children needing services filed with his Court due to children living in houses where methamphetamine is made or used, and more newborn babies testing positive for illicit drugs due to their Mother’s usage during pregnancy. Prior to the reorganization, Juvenile Court heard all Juvenile Delinquencies, Children Needing Services (CHINS), Guardianships, Adoptions, Probate, and Paternity cases filed in Vanderburgh County. Increased State ordered procedures in juvenile cases, a steady increase in new paternity cases over the years, and an increased caseload of children needing services overburdened an already weighted down Juvenile Court.

To alleviate the Juvenile Court caseload, the paternity cases will be moved into the Domestic Relations Court. Four (4) Judges and one (1) Magistrate Judge will regularly hear all paternity and marriage dissolution cases in Vanderburgh County. Chief Judge Mary Margaret Lloyd will bring her experience from being a member of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Domestic Relations Committee to now address paternity cases. This committee created a domestic relation textbook for all Indiana trial judges, assisted the Supreme Court with amending its Indiana Child Support Guidelines, and aided in the creation of a free on-line child support calculator for parents to use. Lloyd also created the Family Court Project which assists indigent parties without attorneys in divorce cases. She will be assigned to this new division along with her fellow Judges Robert J. Tornatta, Richard D. D’Amour, and David D. Kiely. “Putting the paternities into the same court where dissolutions occur simply makes sense,” Lloyd said. “Marital status or lack thereof is not a factor when the Court orders or enforces child support.” She further explained that, “When deciding the custody of a child or parenting time, the Judge always first considers what is in the best interest of that particular child whether in a divorce or in a paternity matter.”

The Superior Court has always had innovative ideas to adjust to the changing issues affecting the public in Vanderburgh County. Among the various innovations are the Drug Treatment Court in both Juvenile and Adult Court, and the Family Court Project and Alternative Dispute Resolution Plan in Domestic Cases. The Court restructuring is the latest adaptation to better serve the community.