Civil lawsuits against convicted New Prairie bus crash suspect sent back to La Porte County court

La Porte County Jail: Shawn Akison

LA PORTE COUNTY, Ind. -- Three civil lawsuits against Shawn Akison, the man convicted for his part in the 2025 multi-vehicle crash with New Prairie baseball team, have been sent back to La Porte Superior Court instead of proceeding in Federal Court.

Documents from United States District Court Northern District of Indiana South Bend Division reveal Judge Damon R. Leichty concluded "the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, so the cases must be remanded to state court without addressing other pending motions."

The three lawsuits include:

  • Shails vs. Akison - Richard Shail, a volunteer JV baseball coach, filed the lawsuit against Enterprise, Amazon, Rent-a-Car, and St. Joseph County as well.
  • JV vs. Akison - This lawsuit was filed on behalf of Jackson Vanlue, who is a minor. It's also against Enterprise, Rent-a-Car, St. Joseph County, and Amazon.
  • Henrich vs. Akison - This lawsuit was filed by Ryan and Christy Henrich, parents of Nickolas Henrich. Nickolas was a passenger injured in the New Prairie bus crash. According to the lawsuit he suffered personal injuries, some of which are permanent.

Amazon initially motioned to move these cases to Federal Court by arguing that the other company is based out of Illinois, and that Akison is an Illinois resident.

You can read the full remand order below: 

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