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.
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Iowa Supreme Court reverses jury verdict in DMACC pay discrimination case
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 technolo …

Iowa Supreme Court: No class action status for chiropractors in antitrust suit against Wellmark
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.

Sex offender not eligible for release after serving prison sentence, Iowa Supreme Court rules
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 ru …

Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in four cases Jan. 23
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.
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Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in eight cases Nov. 13-14
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in eight cases Nov. 13 and Nov. 14. Five other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of the November cases.
Iowa Supreme Court deadlocks on specifics required for liability waivers
When Dubuque police officer Katherine Avenarius accidentally shot herself in the leg while attending an Iowa Law Enforcement Academy firearms instructor school, she sued the academy claiming her injury was the result of an instructor’s advice on how to handle her firearm that contradicted how she had previously been trained. The State, which operates the academy, argued Avenarius signed a “clear and unequivocal” waiver and release of liability.
Iowa Supreme Court upholds minimum prison term for juvenile convicted of murder
The Iowa Supreme Court upheld a 35-year minimum prison sentence for a Fairfield juvenile who pleaded guilty to first degree murder for the death of his high school Spanish teacher. In its unanimous decision, the Court rejected the defendant’s argument that, under the Iowa Constitution, the State must present expert testimony showing a minimum sentence is necessary for a juvenile offender.
Iowa Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in Summit pipeline case Oct. 8 in historic Iowa State Capitol courtroom
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case involving Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed CO2 pipeline in a special evening session Oct. 8 in the historic Iowa Supreme Court courtroom in the Iowa State Capitol Building.
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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.