Iowa Supreme Court Decisions 2021

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of harassment in the first degree, holding that the conviction was supported by substantial evidence and that the district court did not abuse its discretion in its…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the decision of the district court dismissing Appellants' petition for judicial review of the decision of the Iowa Public Information Board declining to order the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court affirming the declaratory order of the Iowa Department of Education interpreting a number of statutes and answering five questions posed by the Keystone Area…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the ruling of the district court affirming the decision of the Public Information Board that the Polk County Assessor violated the Open Records Act by refusing to disclose a list of property…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting Employer's motion to dismiss a petition for judicial review as untimely, holding that the district court correctly dismissed Claimant's petition for…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's application for postconviction relief, holding that there was no error. Defendant pleaded…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the decision of the court of appeals reversing Defendant's convictions of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver and possession of marijuana, holding that the court of appeals made…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the district court that the contractual default interest rate applied in this dispute over the redemption of farmland and affirmed the court of appeals' decision requiring timely…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the juvenile court terminating Father's parental rights to his child, holding that the juvenile court did not err in terminating Father's parental rights. The juvenile court…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Petitioners' applications for postconviction relief, holding that Petitioners' challenges to the State's allocation of its resources in the prison…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated in part the decision of the court of appeals affirming the district court's ruling that Iowa Code chapter 411 ordinary disability benefits are marital property, holding that chapter 411 ordinary…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of sexual abuse of a child, his granddaughter, holding that the district court erred by excluding evidence that another person, a teenager who testified for the State,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of sexually abusing his seven-year-old daughter, K.W., holding that the trial court erred by admitting videos of two forensic interviews in which K.W. described the abuse…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated Defendant's conviction of assault while using or displaying a dangerous weapon, holding that the district court erred in allowing the State to amend the trial information on the day of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and vacated in part the decision of the court of appeals affirming Defendant's conviction and sentence, holding that the district court erred in allowing the State to amend the trial…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court reversing the Iowa Board of Medicine declaratory order interpreting Iowa Code 272C.6(4)(a) as allowing the Board to publish statements of charges and press…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court conditionally affirmed Defendant's convictions of three misdemeanor drug offenses and remanded this case for further proceedings, holding that remand was required for the district court to apply the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the juvenile court's permanency order transferring sole legal custody of the child in this case to Father, holding that there was convincing…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court in favor of Plaintiff on his claims of sexual orientation discrimination and retaliation under the Iowa Civil Rights Act (ICRA), Iowa Code 216.1-.21, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the ruling of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of the owner of a zip line in this personal injury action, holding that exculpatory clauses purporting to negate liability…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court striking down sections 99 and 100 of House File 766, which added funding conditions prohibiting abortion providers from participating in two federally funded…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court concluding that two of Employer's employees were improperly classified as engaged in safety-sensitive positions so that they should never have been drug…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's complaint alleging that Defendant, his employer, did not substantially comply with Iowa Code 730.5(15)…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case arising from finance agreements related to the purchase from a third-party vendor of multimedia systems for Defendants' waiting rooms, the Supreme Court affirmed the rulings and judgments of the district…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court and the decision of the court of appeals rejecting a sex offender's challenge to two aspects of his lifetime special parole sentence, holding that there was…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court concluding that Employer discriminated against Employee by firing him when he sought a reasonable accommodation for a disability, holding that Defendants were…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court conditionally affirmed Defendant's convictions and remanded for the district court to hold a hearing on Defendant's motion to suppress evidence, holding that the peace officer in this case conducted an…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court rejected Defendant's constitutional challenge to Iowa Code 321J.16 and joining the majority of courts holding that it is not an unconstitutional penalty to admit into evidence Defendant's refusal to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court denying Defendants' motion to dismiss this petition seeking to force Defendants to enact legislation that will compel Iowa farmers to take action that will…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court denied Appellant's delayed appeal of the postconviction court's summary judgment denial of his third application for postconviction relief, holding that this Court lacked jurisdiction over the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the ruling of the district court making a "fair value" determination of Plaintiffs' shares in an election to purchase in lieu of dissolution proceeding, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court conditionally affirmed Defendant's drug-related convictions, second offense, holding that, consistent with this Court's opinion in State v. Wright, __ N.W.2d __ (Iowa 2021), filed today, law enforcement…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court finding that a 2019 Waterloo "ban the box" ordinance was not preempted, holding that the ordinance was preempted to the extent…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this lawsuit to set aside a will the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court for Plaintiffs on their undue influence claim and dismissing their tortious interference with inheritance claim, holding…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the district court against Defendant and in favor of Plaintiff finding breach of contract and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, holding that the district…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment against an investor on grounds that he failed to exercise his appraisal rights in a merger, holding that the investor failed validly…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court concluding that Plaintiffs were not entitled to relief on their contract claim and that Defendant was entitled to a verdict on…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court denying Hamilton County Public Hospital's motion for summary judgment concerning Plaintiff's defamation claim and Iowa Wage Payment Collection Law (IWPCL)…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence for operating while intoxicated on two alternative theories, holding that neither Iowa law nor the Iowa Constitution guarantee a suspected drunk driver the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the district court ruling that Plaintiff's employer had complied with Iowa Code 35C.6 when it terminated the employment of Plaintiff, a military veteran, from his job as a police…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals reversing in part the ruling of the district court that Plaintiff was the prevailing party entitled to fees, holding that when a plaintiff recovers less at…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed Defendant's appeal challenging the factual basis supporting his guilty plea to a drug offense, holding that Defendant failed to establish good cause to pursue a direct appeal as a matter of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the order of the district court insofar as it modified the rent rates, duration, and for-profit subleasing rights in certain farm leases entered…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment to Defendants and dismissing Plaintiff's breach of fiduciary and defamation claims, holding that summary judgment was proper. Ryan…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court sustained Liquor Bike LLC's petition for writ of certiorari and vacated the district court's order disqualifying Liquor Bike's counsel on the ground that counsel's representation of Liquor Bike in this…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the adjudication of the juvenile court adjudicating Mother's fourth child, A.W., a child in need of assistance (CINA), holding that the State failed to offer clear and convincing evidence that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Mercy Medical Center and dismissing Plaintiffs' suit for the negligent credentialing of Dr. David Segal, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of operating while intoxicated (OWI), holding that Mitchell v. Wisconsin, 588 U.S. __, __, 139 S. Ct. 2525 (2019) (plurality opinion), applies to cases of suspected…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's prison sentence, holding that Defendant forfeited any rights to enforce the plea agreement in this case when he breached it. The plea agreement provided that Defendant would plead…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the district court's judgment denying Insurer's motion for directed verdict on this action concerning Insurer's alleged delay in paying a claim, holding that the district court erred in denying…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court decreeing dissolution of a limited liability company (LLC), holding that, for the most part, the district court properly…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Appellant's cause of action for unjust enrichment against the State, holding that the district court correctly dismissed the matter as an unlawful…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the determination of the district court that evidence of approximately twenty instances of Defendant's cell phone use while in a vehicle over an…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the judgment of the district court sentencing Defendant to consecutive sentences of incarceration in connection with his plea of guilty to possession of a controlled substance, third or…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed Defendant's appeal challenging his guilty plea to theft in the second degree, holding that Defendant's challenge to the constitutionality of new legislation limiting his ability to appeal was…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that Iowa Code 357A.2 grants cities the primary right to provide water services within two miles of of the city limits that were not already being served by a rural water district. The Supreme…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions but reversed the illegal portion of Defendant's sentence, holding that Defendant's sentence was illegal because it specified a duration for sex offender registry…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and vacated in part the judgment of the court of appeals reversing the ruling of the district court finding that an amended pleading by the Estate of Francis O. Glaser related back to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court upholding the ruling of the Property Assessment Appeal Board (PAAB) concluding that bins that primarily hold raw material until…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming a probate court ruling that a restriction on the transfer of devise property was a restraint on alienation and void, holding that the provision…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of a strip club and dismissing this common law wrongful-death-negligence action, holding that Defendants owed no continuing…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the district court's order sustaining a subpoena served on a state agency for various categories of information related to a potential transaction, holding that the subpoena was not…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for child endangerment and remanded the case to the district court for resentencing, holding that the court of appeals properly vacated the restitution portion of the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the court of appeals affirming Defendant's conviction and sentence for two counts of indecent contact with a child, holding the trial court did not err by allowing the jury to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for assault "us[ing] any object to penetrate the genitalia or anus of another person" in violation of Iowa Code 708.2(5), holding that there was sufficient evidence to…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed this appeal from a 2019 order that declined to modify Defendant's court-ordered restitution in a criminal case, holding that Senate File 457 (S.F. 457) required dismissal of this…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reaffirmed its holding in Schilling v. Iowa Department of Transportation, 646 N.W.2d 69 (Iowa 2002), that a deferred judgment counts as a "final conviction" for purposes of mandatory license revocation…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case arising out of the discontinuance of the City of Mt. Union, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court dismissing Plaintiffs' claim against the City Development Board, holding that the…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this interlocutory appeal, the Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court prohibiting Defendant from filing any additional pro se supplemental documents in a postconviction relief proceeding, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the ruling of the district court striking Plaintiff's resistance to a motion for summary judgment and vacated the resulting summary judgment and bench trial judgment, holding that the district…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this defamation action, the Supreme Court affirmed the district court's order granting Defendant's motion for summary judgment, holding that the district court did not err in concluding that the statement at issue was…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court denying Defendants' motion for summary judgment and holding that the City of Davenport's mayor was required to show cause to remove an appointee from the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the order of the district court denying Defendant's application under Iowa Code 692A.128 to modify the requirement that he register as a sex offender, holding that because the district court did…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court dismissing the trial information in this case, holding that the State's delay in arresting and formally charging Defendant did not amount to a due process…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court denying Appellant's application to modify his sex offender registry requirements, holding that the district court erred in penalizing Defendant for his years…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the termination of parental rights as to Mother but not as to Father, holding that the juvenile court erred in finding each required element for a termination of Mother's custody under Iowa…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court terminating the parental rights of Father to his child and denying the State's petition to terminate Mother's parental rights and…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of sexual abuse in the third degree, holding that there was no trial error and that there was sufficient evidence to support the conviction. Specifically, the Supreme…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this action seeking to set aside a sheriff's sale of the stock of Plaintiff's farm business the Supreme Court vacated the decision of the court of appeals reversing the decision of the district court concluding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court determining that Jason Carter was civilly liable for the death of his mother, Shirley Carter, holding that the district court did not abuse its…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the trial court dismissing this lawsuit brought by an injured pedestrian against a city over a defective city sidewalk, holding that the trial court erred in dismissing the case…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court granting Defendant's motion to suppress physical evidence and statements based on a police officer's alleged promise of leniency, holding that there was no…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed this appeal from a jury verdict in favor of Defendants in this medical malpractice action, holding that Plaintiff failed to timely file her notice of appeal. Plaintiff, individually and on…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the district court granting summary judgment dismissing Kristina Lewis's negligence claims against Howard L. Allen Investments, Inc. (Allen Investments), holding that Allen…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of a finance company in this contract dispute, holding that the contract was properly ratified despite any allegation of…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this garnishment proceeding, the Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court concluding that Robert McGowen's deferred compensation plan benefits paid upon him reaching the age of sixty-seven were not…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court granting Defendants' motion for summary judgment and dismissing Plaintiff's claims for negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation, and breach…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the ruling of the district court ordering a new trial on damages in this action against a golf course for owner liability under Iowa Code 321.493 and common law premises liability, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the order of the juvenile court terminating Mother's parental rights to her two children, holding that the juvenile court appropriately handled…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the juvenile court terminating Father's parental rights to his two-year-old daughter, holding that the phrase "the proceeding" in Iowa Code 232.114(3) includes the appeal from the…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court in favor of Defendants in this personal injury case, holding that the Federal Railroad Safety Act preempted Plaintiff's excessive speed claims and that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals and the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of attempted murder and related crimes, holding that any error that occurred in the proceedings…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of driving while intoxicated (OWI), holding that defense counsel was not ineffective in declining to seek suppression of certain evidence on the basis that Defendant was…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court granting partial summary judgment on Donald Clark's legal malpractice claim, holding that Clark may not use his prior successful ineffective assistance of…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated the decision of the court of appeals affirming the decision of the district court concluding that the county board of adjustment legally granted an area variance to certain property owners,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction for wanton neglect of a resident of a health care facility, holding that the admission of a certain exhibit, when coupled with a certain instruction, posed a serious risk…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress, holding that observations of a driver holding a phone in front of his face and actively manipulating the screen for at…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the district court on declaratory judgment declining to adjudicate the validity of two wills the ward, who was still alive, executed while he was in a voluntary conservatorship,…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the juvenile court dismissing this child-in-need-of-assistance proceeding in which the child victim of sexual abuse had been returned to the home with the perpetrator and in…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for attempting to obtain a prescription drug by deceit, as a habitual offender, and conspiracy to commit a nonforcible felony, holding that Defendant's constitutional…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying a citizen's quo warranto action asserting that a district judge was holding his office unlawfully, holding that this case presented a nonjusticiable…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for attempted burglary with intent to commit theft, holding that the State's evidence, and all reasonable inferences from that evidence, was sufficient to support…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's sentence imposed following his pleas of guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon, interference with official acts while armed with a firearm, and carrying weapons, holding that…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the restitution order of the district court, holding that the State failed to prove the full amount of restitution was caused by the crime of conviction. Defendant pled guilty to ongoing…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court denying Defendant's motion to set aside a default judgment awarding Plaintiff immediate and exclusive possession of Defendant's home, holding that the district…

Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court vacated Defendant's sentence for domestic abuse assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, holding that the district court exceeded its statutory sentencing authority in this case. The district court…