A panel from the Indiana Court of Appeals returns to Ball State University Sept. 8 to hear an appeal by ex-Conseco Inc. executive Stephen Hilbert addressing a ruling that ordered him to repay $65 million to his former company. 

Court proceedings, free and open to the public, begin at 2:30 p.m. in Pruis Hall. The court's visit is sponsored by the College of Communication, Information and Media.

Oral arguments will be heard by a three-judge panel, including Justices Carr Darden, Terry Crone and Paul Mathias, who was the lead judge in a case heard on campus by the court last March. After oral arguments, which should last about an hour, the judges will take part in an information question-and-answer session with the audience.

The case, on appeal from the Hamilton County Circuit Court, is one of several attempts by Conseco, a Carmel-based firm, to recover unpaid loans and interest from Hilbert. The firm first sued Hilbert in 2003 to try to recover what is now more than $243 million. Hilbert borrowed the money, which was guaranteed by Conseco, to buy company stock in the late 1990s when he was chairman and chief executive of Conseco.

Conseco's bankruptcy in 2002 rendered the stock worthless, leaving the firm to repay the loans to the original bank lenders. Hilbert claims he owes little to none of the money because control of Conseco has changed since he left and because the stock program was illegal.

For more information, contact Mike Spillman, telecommunications professor, at mspillman@bsu.edu or (765) 285-3749.