Indiana State University Newsroom

The Indiana Court of Appeals will conduct oral arguments in "Corn v. State" at 11 a.m. March 27 in Hulman Memorial Student Union, Indiana State University. The argument in Room Dede III is open to the public and will last approximately one hour.

A panel of Judges Patricia A. Riley, Margret G. Robb and Cale J. Bradford will hear the case on appeal from Vigo Superior Court 1. Appellant Charles Corn will be represented by Attorney Mark Small, and Indiana Deputy Attorney General Karl Scharnberg will represent the state.

Charles Corn was convicted of Class B felony aggravated battery. Corn stabbed a man approximately four hours after the man had physically attacked Corn. At trial, the prosecutor asked the investigating officer whether he had spoken to Corn, and the officer stated he had not because Corn asked for an attorney.

Corn raises two issues on appeal: Whether the officer's statements commenting on Corn's silence rose to the level of fundamental error; and whether the State sufficiently met its burden of proof to disprove Corn's claim of self-defense.

The Court of Appeals hears oral arguments across Indiana to enable Hoosiers to observe the court in action and learn more about its indispensable role in Indiana government. The court has conducted more than 380 "Appeals on Wheels" events since its 2000-2001 centennial.

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Media contact: Journalists (including students) may ask the court's permission to record the argument in audio, video or photographic formats by emailing court administrator Steve Lancaster (CourtofAppeals@courts.in.gov) at least 48 hours before the scheduled start of the argument. Per Indiana Supreme Court order, all video cameras must be tripod-mounted and neither video nor still cameras can employ flash or strobe lighting.