The Iowa Supreme Court’s 2019-20 term was marked by change and disruption. Change came with the appointment of two new justices and the selection of a new chief justice. Disruption came with the coronavirus outbreak that suspended oral arguments and closed the Judicial Branch Building…
The Iowa Supreme Court held that a tenant with a dog allergy may maintain civil claims for damages against their landlord arising from the landlord’s waiver of their no-pets policy for a neighboring tenant’s emotional support animal. In doing so, the Court emphasized the narrowness…
Municipal ordinances created to protect residents’ civil rights are not enforceable in state court, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled June 30. The Iowa Civil Rights Act authorizes the state Civil Rights Commission to issue “right to sue” letters to complainants, who are then able to…
A Burlington woman injured in a biking accident on a park trail can proceed with her lawsuit against the city in Des Moines County District Court, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in a decision handed down June 12. In its decision in Breese v. City…
“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow,” the song says, but when the snow ends, the Iowa Supreme Court says exposure to legal liability begins. The Court in a decision handed down June 5 rejected an argument that it abandon its 67-year-old “continuing…
A plaintiff suing former coworkers at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for defamation waited too long to file suit in Polk County District Court because she failed to act on information she knew or should have known that could have formed the basis for a defamation claim before the statute of limitations expired, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a Jan. 9 decision.
Does a foreign corporation consent to the jurisdiction of Iowa’s courts when it registers with the Secretary of State to do business in this state, appoints an agent in Iowa for service of process, and is served with notice of a lawsuit through its Iowa…
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in 18 cases in May 2025.
The Iowa Supreme Court in a decision issued Dec. 23 reaffirmed its 2024 ruling that allowing testimony by minors in criminal trials via one-way closed-circuit video violates defendants’ right to confront their accusers under the Iowa Constitution.
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.
