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 Roland v. Annett Holdings, the…
Contracts written by residential contractors who act as unlicensed “public adjusters” representing homeowners’ with insurers following storm damage are invalid under Iowa law, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Feb. 14. 33 Carpenters Construction Inc. approached a Bettendorf couple following a hailstorm offering to inspect their…
The Iowa Supreme Court in its first decision of the term handed down Oct. 13 agreed with a convicted sex offender that his prison sentence was wrongly extended by more than three years by the Iowa Department of Corrections (IDOC). The IDOC’s recent policy reversal…
Pamela and Jeremy Plowmans’ appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court presented hard questions about the rights of parents to be informed about abnormalities of an unborn child that may lead them to choose an abortion. The Court, carefully picking through this moral minefield, issued a…
By Ryan Koopmans “In his professional life, Tom Waterman, 53, is a fourth-generation member of the storied Davenport law firm of Lane & Waterman, and a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. In his personal life, he is a husband, father, fitness buff and collector…
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. In July, the Court of Appeals selected two opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those opinions.
The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed dismissal of a human trafficking charge and clarified that, under the 2024 statute, a defendant cannot commit human trafficking by attempting to buy sex from a victim who does not exist.
In a 5–2 decision filed on June 12, 2026, the Iowa Supreme Court in State v. Gibbs upheld a mother’s three child endangerment convictions under Iowa Code section 726.6(1)(a). Chief Justice Christensen wrote the majority opinion, joined by Justices McDonald, Oxley, McDermott, and May. Justice Mansfield filed a partial dissent, joined by Justice Waterman, concurring as to two convictions but dissenting as to the third.
In a unanimous decision filed on May 22, 2026, the Iowa Supreme Court in State v. Hall held that a defendant need not be the person who initiated an encounter to commit harassment.
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.
