An applicant for a firefighter position is rejected after the employer’s consulting physician concludes the applicant is medically unqualified without disclosing the reason: The applicant had recently had symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Did the employer violate...
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Is an employee covered by a collective-bargaining agreement entitled to an exception to the ‘at-will’ employment doctrine?
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments on Nov. 13 in an appeal brought by a former state administrative law judge who contends she was fired for blowing the whistle on her boss for improperly influencing unemployment insurance appeals. Susan Ackerman, an...
Iowa Supreme Court Affirms Defense Ruling in Disparate-Impact Employment Discrimination Case Against State
By Amanda Atherton Last week, the Iowa Supreme Court affirmed the district court’s judgment in favor of the state in Pippen v. State of Iowa et al, a class-action employment-discrimination case brought under Title VII and the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The class of over...
Iowa Supreme Court to Reconsider Case of “Irresistible Employee”
By Ryan Koopmans The Iowa Supreme Court agreed on Monday to withdraw its December 2012 decision in Nelson v. James H. Knight DDS, P.C. and reconsider the case. That’s an extraordinary move, which comes six months after the court received national attention for ruling...
Unfair termination does not violate Iowa Civil Rights Act
[The following summary was written by Nyemaster Goode attorneys Amanda Atherton and Deb Hulett] Today, the Iowa Supreme Court reaffirmed that an unfair termination decision does not violate the Iowa Civil Rights Act so long as the employer does not discriminate “based...
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Municipal water utility not protected from strict liability for main breaks, Iowa Supreme Court rules
With sex-affirming surgery case declared moot by Iowa Supreme Court, resolution of constitutional questions awaits a future case
Iowa Supreme Court holds Black defendant not harmed by juror strike, but three justices object to a race-related reference in juror questioning
Iowa Supreme Court unanimously overturns 2017 Godfrey precedent establishing direct damages claims under Iowa Constitution
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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.