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Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is taking action to protect states’ authority to prohibit sex-change procedures from being performed on minors — co-leading a 22-state brief to the U.S. Supreme Court aimed at thwarting the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to override state laws.

“The Biden-Harris administration will stop at nothing to impose its radical transgender ideology on all Americans,” Attorney General Rokita said. “But Hoosiers elect state lawmakers to representtheir values, and the Indiana General Assembly has passed a law forbidding medical practitioners from performing surgery or administering drugs to children under 18 to ‘transition’ them to live as members of the opposite sex.”

In the amicus brief, the attorneys general support the State of Tennessee’s authority to enforce a law that — similar to Indiana’s — prohibits medical interventions before age 18 intended to alter boys’ or girls’ physical appearances so that they resemble members of the opposite sex.

“The Constitution leaves to states the right to make decisions about how best to protect children from unproven and risky interventions,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Here in Indiana, we have laws rooted in common sense, compassion and science.”

That lack of authority did not prevent the federal government from supporting a lawsuit against Tennessee that erroneously claims the Tennessee law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

“Nothing in passing the Fourteenth Amendment,” the amicus brief states,” remotely suggests that the Equal Protection Clause was meant to override the States’ traditional role in regulating medicine.”

Joining Attorney General Rokita in leading the amicus brief are the attorneys general of Arkansas and Kentucky.

“In our federalist system,” the brief further observes, “the States get to decide within their borders what interventions are available for boys and girls suffering from gender dysphoria. Tennessee gets to decide that using puberty blockers and hormones . . . is not sufficiently safe or beneficial —that long-term it will do more harm than good. No equal-protection challenge can change that.”

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita cautioned local officials in Lake and St. Joseph counties that he will pursue legal action against them after November 8 if they refuse to follow state laws that prohibit local entities from restricting immigration enforcement activities and communications with federal immigration authorities.

“Illegal aliens coming across our unprotected Southern border for the last four years have caused a jump in crime, fentanyl overdoses, human trafficking, and an increased financial burden on state and local programs,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Hardworking Hoosiers are sick and tired ofpaying the price for this left-wing nonsense, and our office will not back down from enforcing state law.”

A "sanctuary city" is a local unit of government that has implemented a policy that deliberately and intentionally restricts and obstructs the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

The Indiana General Assembly passed a law this year authorizing the attorney general to file lawsuits against any Indiana colleges, universities, or units of local government that do not comply with the Indiana ban on sanctuary cities.

Attorney General Rokita has heard from constituents about the problems caused by mass migration into areas like Lake and St. Joseph counties. His efforts to combat sanctuary cities are an important way to address these problems.

“Everyone should have the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life,” Attorney General Rokita said. “We welcome migrants to the United States who show they are thankful to be here by entering our country legally and following our laws. Simply put, if you do not follow our laws, you should not be allowed to stay.”

Attorney General Rokita has sent letters to officials in Lake and St. Joseph counties warning them of impending legal action if they do not come into compliance with Indiana law.

Attorney General Rokita also sent letters to officials in the cities of East Chicago, West Lafayetteand Monroe County. East Chicago and West Lafayette changed their policy to comply with state law. Our office is pursuing legal action in court against Monroe County.

We continue to evaluate other local governments and will take action as warranted to ensure compliance with state law.

By Becky Killian, Staff Writer

Officials have adopted a noise ordinance for unincorporated portions of the county, and anyone found responsible for “unreasonable noise” during the overnight hours could face fines of up to $1,000. The ordinance was adopted by the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

Prior to the unanimous vote to approve the new ordinance, Commissioner Todd Ewen said that the possibility of restricting overnight noise was raised a couple years ago. He emphasized that the ordinance intends to target residents causing “nuisance situations” and that it does not aim to infringe upon anybody’s rights.

The ordinance defines “unreasonable noise” as “sound that is of a volume, frequency, or pattern that prohibits, disrupts, injures, or endangers the health, safety, welfare, prosperity, comfort, or repose of reasonable persons of ordinary sensitivities within the county.”

Factors that will determine whether a noise is “unreasonable” include the proximity of the sound to private or commercial sleeping facilities; how the surrounding land is typically used and the proximity to where the sound is heard; the time of day; the sound’s duration; and “whether the sound is recurrent, intermittent, or constant.”

The hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. are identified as the time during which noise must be restricted.

Property owners must restrict the sounds of horns, whistles, engines, yelling or shouting, as well as any device used to convey sound like speakers or televisions.

The ordinance also aims to protect schools, courts, churches, and hospitals from “unreasonable noise that is plainly audible to a person with normal hearing above normal ambient noise levels at a distance of 50 feet from the source of the noise.”

Parents could be fined if their minor children violate the ordinance, as could pet owners. Vehicle owners with defective or modified exhaust systems could be ordered to muffle the exhaust and given seven days to have the work completed.

Exemptions include emergency sirens; “properly muffled” lawn mowers used between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.; burglar alarms; celebratory noises associated with holidays like Memorial Day, July 4th, Halloween, and New Year’s Eve; and permitted parades provided they fall within certain hours dependent upon the day of the week. More exemptions are allowed for noise associated with sporting events and the normal and customary sounds generated by certain businesses like farming.

Ewen said it will be left to the deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to determine when the ordinance should be enforced.

The ordinance includes fines of $50 for the first offense; $150 for the second; and $300 for the third. Subsequent offenses carry a fine of $1,000. Fines can be imposed every day a violation occurs.

A years-long investigation into a home health care provider in Highland, Indiana, has resulted in a $217,000 settlement and criminal conviction obtained through the hard work of Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).

Following a tip, MFCU investigators discovered that Allpoints Home Health Care Inc. billed the Medicaid program for thousands of hours not actually worked. In all, the business was found to have submitted 1,055 false claims.

“Week after week, our nationally renowned Medicaid Fraud Control Unit does outstanding and incredibly thorough work on behalf of Hoosiers,” Attorney General Rokita said. “And of all the types of fraud committed, what is more sinister than stealing money which was intended to help low-income sick people pay their health care bills?”

In some instances, the perpetrators were particularly sloppy in their falsification of records — such as claiming to provide home health care to one patient during a time when that individual was hospitalized and not even at home to receive the purported home services.

As part of the investigation, MFCU staff analyzed claims submitted to Medicaid, interviewed Allpoints employees, reviewed medical records and perused Electronic Visit Verification sheets. 

By the time all the facts were gathered, investigators had enough evidence not only to pursue a settlement but also to work with the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office to achieve a criminal conviction as well. 

Mohammad Adnan Satti — the employee who prepared and submitted the majority of the false claims — was convicted for felony theft and sentenced to 18 months suspended jail time as part of a plea agreement. 

Allpoints agreed to pay Indiana $217,019.61 in exchange for escaping civil liability for violations of the Indiana Medicaid False Claims and Whistleblower Protection Act. That’s three times the overpayments identified by our team’s analysis of the claims data.

Attorney General Rokita thanked MFCU Director Matt Whitmire, Deputy Attorney General JeremyJohnson and former Deputy Attorney General Jordan Stover for their work on this case.

The Indiana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a federal grant. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the State of Indiana.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit against a corporate landlord over alleged failure to repair and maintain an apartment complex in Plymouth, Indiana.

The lawsuit alleges that RICH-MONS Group LLC committed multiple violations of Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act in connection with failures to properly maintain The Pointe Apartments.

“Tenants who pay their rent deserve the protection of the law,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Our legislature has made it clear that a landlord must maintain major systems in a leased property. Demanding rent from tenants while they are exposed to water intrusion, toxic mold, and dangerous electrical wiring is simply wrong.”

The lawsuit — filed by Attorney General Rokita’s Consumer Protection Division through its Homeowner Protection Unit — alleges that following an inspection by the City of Plymouth Building Commissioner Dennis Manuwal, Jr., approximately 20 residents were displaced and ordered to immediately evacuate the building. The inspection is alleged to have uncovered various roof leaks, visible black mold, and other unsafe conditions. The owner was also ordered to have a registered electrician perform an analysis of the electrical system. That electrician’s report noted open junction boxes, live wires hanging from boxes, gas lines with live amperage, and other fixtures with live voltage or amperage.

The lawsuit demands a jury trial, costs of prosecution, and other damages against the defendants for multiple violations of the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.

The mission of the Homeowner Protection Unit is to protect the rights of all individuals involved in the housing market, including tenants, homeowners, and aspiring homeowners, by investigating and redressing deceptive acts in connection with mortgage lending and violations of relevant state and federal laws.

The unit strives to ensure equal access to housing opportunities for Hoosiers and promote the proper functioning of homeowner's associations. It works closely with law enforcement agencies at all levels to ensure justice is served and homeowners and tenants are protected.

Hoosiers are encouraged to contact the Office of the Indiana Attorney General about any suspected scams or scam attempts.

Consumers can file a complaint by visiting indianaconsumer.com or calling 1-800-382-5516.