Twelve cases will be submitted to the Iowa Supreme Court this week without oral argument. The Supreme Court and Court of Appeals are not hearing oral arguments through July 13 under a supervisory order issued by Chief Justice Susan Christensen on April 2 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The appellate courts may, at …
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 …
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
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
Cedar Rapids resident Robert Teig asked Cedar Rapids city officials for records related to the hiring of a new city clerk and city attorney. When they mostly denied Teig’s requests, he filed suit naming six Cedar Rapids officials as defendants, which the Linn County District Court dismissed on summary judgment.
Teig ma …
Lasondra Johnson was tried for first-degree murder for the shooting death of Jada Young-Mills outside a Waterloo residence. Johnson argued she acted in self defense and the shooting was justified under Iowa’s “stand your ground” law that says a person is justified in the use of reasonable force in the belief that such …
The Iowa Code requires that a plaintiff who brings medical malpractice claims in state court serve the defendant with an affidavit signed by an expert witness regarding the merits of the claim that the medical provider was negligent. The statute requires that the affidavit be signed under oath obligating the witness to be t …
Two assistant Iowa attorneys general subpoenaed to testify by deposition in an employment suit against the State appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court after the trial court denied their motion to quash the subpoenas. The Supreme Court held that while one of the attorneys is shielded from testifying, the other is not.
Depart …
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.
