We help victims throughout the state of Indiana.

Ashley N. Hadler

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Practice Areas:

Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect
Sexual Abuse & Sexual Assault
Medical Malpractice

Biography

Ashley Hadler focuses her law practice on representing survivors and families affected by nursing home abuse, sexual abuse, and medical malpractice. Ashley handles cases throughout Indiana and Illinois. She grew up in Greensburg, Indiana and attended college and law school in Indiana. After law school, Ashley lived in Chicago where she represented victims of nursing home negligence and medical malpractice against some of the largest hospitals and nursing home chains in the Midwest.

She returned to Indianapolis in 2017 to continue helping people who were injured by abuse, neglect, and malpractice. Ashley's unique background in science, psychology, and health law benefits her clients who have suffered from trauma and have complex medical issues. She understands the issues faced by kids and adults who are injured where they live, are educated, are coached, or receive medical treatment.

Ashley often speaks to group of attorneys, victim advocates, and survivors of abuse about the legal options available to survivors and their families. She knows how to find people and businesses that may be held accountable for abuse and how to find sources of compensation available to survivors.

Ashley's clients range from children to the elderly. She has experience handling sexual abuse and assault cases against churches and religious organizations, residential care facilities, daycares, schools, and sports teams. As a woman and a mother, Ashley brings an important female perspective to litigating civil abuse and neglect cases.

Ashley is a board member of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, and a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice. She is a volunteer guardian for the Indianapolis Center for At Risk Elders (CARE). She is a past vice-chair of the Young Lawyer's Council of the National Crime Victims Bar Association and an active member of the Prevent Child Abuse Indiana Advisory Board. Ashley spends her free time with her husband, their son, and Poppy the French Bulldog.

Education

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Indianapolis, Indiana
- J.D. - 2011
- Honors: Health Law Concentration
DePauw University
- B.A. - 2006
- Major: Biology

Bar Admissions

Indiana, 2011
Illinois, 2013
U.S. District Court Southern District of Indiana, 2018
U.S. District Court Northern District of Indiana, 2018

Current Employment Position

Attorney

Professional Associations And Memberships

American Association for Justice—Nursing Home, Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault Litigation Groups
Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
National Crime Victim’s Bar Association, Past-Vice Chair Young Lawyer’s Council
Prevent Child Abuse Indiana Advisory Board
Indianapolis Bar Association

Honors & Awards

Indiana Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2018-2022
Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2015-2017
Illinois Leading Lawyers, Emerging Lawyer, 2015

Speaking Engagements, Presentations, & Writings

Presenter, ICLEF Medical Malpractice Update “Third Party Liability,” Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, February 2022
Chair and Presenter, “ICLEF Nursing Home Abuse Seminar,” Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, June 2021
Presenter, “Indiana Arbitration Law Update,” Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, May 2021
Presenter, “Returning to the Courthouse? Safety, Viability and Logistics,” National Crime Victims Bar Association, October 2020
Presenter, “It Takes a Village: Protecting the Elderly from Abuse,” National Center for Victims of Crime, June 2020
Presenter, “Let the Sun Shine In: Combatting Secrecy in Abuse Litigation,” Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, May 2020
Presenter, ’’Sexual Abuse Litigation: Calculating and Maximizing Damages,” Mass Torts Made Perfect, 2019
Presenter, “Sexual Abuse in Residential Facilities,” Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, 2019
Author, “Civil Sexual Abuse Litigation: A Guide for Survivors,” 2019
Presenter, “Forensic Science Fundamentals for Attorneys,” National Business Institute, 2019
Panelist, “Working with Physically and Emotionally Traumatize Clients in Your Legal Practice,” Indianapolis Bar Association, 2018
Panelist, “College and Church Sexual Assault Litigation,” Mass Torts Made Perfect, 2018
Speaker, “Profits Over People-Spotting Issues of Neglect in Long Term Care Cases,” Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, 2018
Presenter, “Trial of the Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Case,” National Business Institute, 2018
Presenter, “Mechanics of a Nursing Home Fall Case,” Levin & Perconti In-House Continuing Legal Education, 2016
Presenter, “Proving Your Case through Written Discovery”, National Academy of Continuing Legal Education, 2016

Pro-Bono Activities

Center for At Risk Elders Volunteer Guardian
National Crime Victim’s Bar Association, Civil Justice Institute, Panelist
Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, Advisory Board Member
Decatur County Cheer Fund, Volunteer
Families First of Indiana, ‘Give a Wrap, Volunteer

Representative Results

Representation of the Frankel family for the abuse of their late husband/father at the hands of a local assisted living facility, 2019: https://www.theindychannel.com/news/call-6-investigators/family-claims-elderly-father-died-after-being-abused-at-greenwood-nursing-home
Representation of a local family whose elderly family member was sexually abused at her Residential Living Facility, 2019: https://www.theindychannel.com/news/call-6-investigators/family-claims-convicted-killer-sexually-abused-elderly-woman-while-working-at-carmel-nursing-home
$5.75 mil settlement on behalf of a child who suffered injury at birth due to physician and hospital staff negligence, 2018
$1.4 million settlement for her client who developed a pressure sore at an Illinois nursing home
$835,000 settlement for an Illinois nursing home resident who suffered a severe sacral pressure sore and the development of contractures due to the negligence of two separate nursing facilities. Ashley was responsible for liability and treating physician depositions and attended mediation on behalf of her clients in this matter.
$550,000 medical malpractice settlement for a physician’s failure to diagnose prostate cancer for a period of fourteen (14) months despite critical PSA laboratory values.
$450,000 settlement on behalf of the family of a nursing home drowning victim. Ashley’s client was allowed to be unattended in a whirlpool bathtub where he was later found unresponsive.
$3.5 million settlement on behalf of her client who was voluntarily admitted to a Chicago psychiatric hospital due to suicidal ideations and allowed access to hazardous cleaning chemicals which he ingested causing catastrophic and severe esophageal injuries. Ashley was instrumental in winning a Motion to add punitive damages in this case and bringing it to settlement.
$725,000 settlement on behalf of an Illinois nursing home resident who suffered a preventable fall resulting in a hip fracture and the development and deterioration of a sacral pressure sore.
$460,000 Nursing Home Sexual Abuse settlement for the adult child of a nursing home rape victim. The resident was sexually assaulted by another nursing home resident due to the facility’s failure to properly supervise and monitor the perpetrator.
$950,000 settlement on behalf of a Chicago nursing home resident who suffered a fall and femur fracture resulting in immobility, malnutrition, dehydration and the development and deterioration of pressure sores.
$750,000 settlement for the family of a seventy (70) year old woman who was killed as a passenger in a head-on collision.
$500,000 settlement for a child victim attacked by a police dog who suffered permanent facial scarring.