![](https://iowaappeals.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/logo.png)
Iowa Supreme Court: Plaintiffs who dropped hog-confinement suit must pay defendants’ costs
Two Wapello County residents who brought nuisance suits against operators of hog confinements and later voluntarily dropped them must pay the defendants’ costs, including legal fees, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled March 27.
Michael Merrill and Karen Jo Frescoln were among two of 70 original plaintiffs in Honom …
read moreTruckers must pursue workers’ compensation claims individually, not as a class, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Drivers who work for a national trucking company based in Des Moines do not have common claims for purposes of a class-action lawsuit on workers’ compensation benefits, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled March 20.
In weighing class action status in read more
The Iowa Supreme Court has a little over three months left in its current term, but the last oral arguments have already been heard, as a result of schedule changes forced by the coronavirus outbreak.
In recent days, Chief Justice Susan Christensen has issued a string of orders (accessible on the Judicial Branch read more
Iowa Supreme Court will seek to unlock legislative intent in an evening session March 9 at Des Moines’ Roosevelt High School
When is a padlock just a padlock and when is it a “theft detection device”?
That is the question before the Iowa Supreme Court in an oral argument to be heard March 9 in an evening session open to the public at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines. [Go to On Brief’s read more
Susan Christensen, the new Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, will be first to serve a shortened term
Iowa Supreme Court Justice Susan Christensen, who was selected by her colleagues on the Court to become Chief Justice, will be the first chief justice to serve just a two-year term under a new statute enacted by the Iowa General Assembly in 2019.
Prior to the passage of Senate File 638 in April 2019 (codified as Chapter …
read moreResidential contractors must be licensed to represent homeowners with insurers
Homesteads exempt from mechanic’s lien foreclosure to collect legal fees, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Homeowners may have to pay a contractor for labor and materials in a mechanic’s lien foreclosure, but they cannot be forced to forfeit their homestead to cover the contractor’s legal fees, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled. That is, however, unless the homesteader waits too long to make that claim.
That was the good-news, …
read moreIowa Supreme Court to hear arguments Feb. 10 in a case of an emotional support dog versus a neighbor with allergies
Two tenants on the same floor of an Iowa City apartment building assert conflicting rights that seem irreconcilable — one needs a dog for emotional support and the other is allergic to dogs — and they are asking the Iowa Supreme Court to decide which party should prevail.
The case, read more
Transformation of Iowa Supreme Court continues with Dana Oxley’s appointment
With the appointment of Cedar Rapids attorney Dana Oxley, the Supreme Court is one step closer to a historic transformation.
On Jan 28, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the appointment of Oxley to replace the late Chief Justice Mark Cady. Oxley, 52, has practiced law at Shuttleworth & Ingersoll in Cedar Rapids since 2011, …
read moreIowa Supreme Court says its ruling on racial composition of juries does not apply retroactively
Two years ago the Iowa Supreme Court overruled a quarter-century-old precedent that established an exclusive test for determining whether a criminal jury reflects a fair cross section of the community. In its decision in Thongvanh v. State ha …
read moreFEATURED POSTS
In a Wapello County case, Iowa Supreme Court parses settlement agreement language on ‘derelict’ vehicles
When Wapello County set out to remove what it considered “derelict” vehicles from a residential property, the owners sued. The suit was dropped after the owners and the County reached a settlement in which the owners agreed to do the removal themselves to the County’s “satisfaction.”
The word “satisfaction” …
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in 11 cases Feb. 21 and 22
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in 11 cases Feb. 21 and Feb 22. Two additional cases will be submitted to the Court without oral arguments. Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read the briefs submitted to the Court in these cases. Following are b …
Iowa Supreme Court to hear a case with constitutional implications in Feb. 20 evening session
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear an oral argument in a special evening session Monday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Judicial Branch Building. The evening session is an opportunity for members of the public who might otherwise be unable to attend court sessions to witness an oral argument in person.
The case to be argued – …
Detectives’ ‘distasteful’ deception crossed no constitutional lines, Iowa Supreme Court holds
The Iowa Supreme Court has for more than 60 years used what it has called a “common sense” standard for determining whether police officers cross a constitutional line by dangling the prospect of leniency before a criminal suspect that is likely to lead to a false confession.
Applying the precedent first enunciated i …
APPELLATE CALENDAR
EDITORIAL TEAM
ABOUT
On Brief: Iowa’s Appellate Blog is devoted to appellate litigation with a focus on the Iowa Supreme Court, the Iowa Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.