The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in 11 cases Feb. 19-21. Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read briefs filed in these cases. Following are brief summaries of the February cases.
State v. Starr
Scheduled for oral argument Feb. 19, 7 p.m.
Question: Does a state statute
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Public invited to observe Iowa Supreme Court oral arguments at an evening session Feb. 19
By Rox Laird
The Iowa Supreme Court will hold a special evening session in Des Moines Feb. 19 to hear oral arguments in a case involving the right of a criminal suspect in police custody to contact a lawyer or family member.
Oral arguments are ordinarily held during mornings or early afternoons in Des Moines, but each term…
Iowa Supreme Court: It is not enough to say that a cow does not belong on a highway
By Rox Laird
Was it enough for a truck driver who struck a cow on the interstate, seeking to prove the cow’s owner was negligent, to rely upon the very fact that the cow had been allowed to wander onto the highway in the first place?
Not without more, the Iowa Supreme Court said in a decision handed…
December 2023 Opinion Roundup
By Matt McGuire
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in fourteen cases during December 2023. You can read Rox Laird’s analysis of State v. Geddes, State v. Arrieta, Harding v. Sasso, and Hummel v. Smith and Hilts v. Smith. The remaining opinions from December are summarized below.
State of Iowa v. Robert Paul…
Iowa Supreme Court reverses jury verdict in DMACC pay discrimination case
By Rox Laird
Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) paid a female employee less than a male employee in a comparable position, but the pay differential did not amount to illegal discrimination, according to a Feb. 2 opinion by the Iowa Supreme Court.
Sandra Selden, an Application Support Analyst 2 in the DMACC information technology department, sued the…
Iowa Supreme Court: No class action status for chiropractors in antitrust suit against Wellmark
By Rox Laird
The Polk County District Court did not exceed its authority in denying class action status to a group of Iowa chiropractors suing Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield for alleged unlawful price fixing, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a Jan. 26 ruling.
This is the sixth appeal the Supreme Court has heard in…
Sex offender not eligible for release after serving prison sentence, Iowa Supreme Court rules
By Rox Laird
Stewart Schuman completed a prison sentence for sex crimes in 2012. But in the decade since, Shuman, who is now 69 years old, has been confined in a sex-offender treatment unit in the Cherokee Mental Health Institute following his civil commitment as a sexually violent predator.
In 2022 the Story County District Court ruled that…
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in four cases Jan. 23
By Rox Laird
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in four cases Jan. 23. Three other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read briefs filed in these cases.
Myers v. City of Cedar Falls
Scheduled for oral argument Jan. 23,…
State universities must pay health care association assessments, Iowa Supreme Court holds
By Rox Laird
The Iowa Legislature in 1995 enacted health care insurance reforms aimed at improving individual access to health insurance. Among other things, the legislation created the Iowa Individual Health Benefit Reinsurance Association, a private nonprofit corporation.
Individual health insurance providers are required by the statute, Iowa Code Chapter 513C, to pay assessments to the reinsurance association,…
Iowa Supreme Court clarifies statutory “certificate of merit” requirements for medical malpractice suits
By Rox Laird
Iowa law requires that a party bringing a malpractice action against a health care provider provide defendants with an expert witness affidavit regarding the alleged breach of the applicable medical standard of care, referred to as a “certificate of merit”. In three decisions handed down Dec. 22, the Iowa Supreme Court clarified its interpretation of…