Iowa Supreme Court Decisions 2025

Justia Opinion Summary: A county board of supervisors approved a nonprofit entity’s application to rezone a parcel of land in rural Polk County. Another nonprofit entity and several nearby landowners filed a lawsuit challenging the rezoning…

Justia Opinion Summary: Allan Robert Sievers was convicted of two counts of sexual abuse in the second degree and one count of lascivious acts with a child. The case arose when Leo, a minor, disclosed to his mother that Sievers had raped him.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Heartland Co-op, an agricultural cooperative, purchased a property and casualty insurance policy from Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Company. The policy included earnings and extra expense coverage with a $3 million…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jahn Patric Kirlin and Sara Louise Kirlin filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Christian William Jones, Dr. Barclay A. Monaster, and Physicians Clinic Inc. d/b/a Methodist Physicians Clinic – Council Bluffs.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Brandon Ruiz was convicted of second-degree sexual abuse in 2018. He was acquitted of six other counts but sentenced to a term not exceeding twenty-five years. Ruiz's conviction was affirmed on direct appeal. He then…

Justia Opinion Summary: A citizen sought access to police use of force reports under the Iowa Open Records Act. The Des Moines Police Department requires officers to complete a report whenever force is used, detailing the incident's specifics.…

Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant entered into a joint plea agreement covering offenses in both Johnson and Linn Counties. He committed a crime in Linn County first, then committed another crime in Johnson County. He pleaded guilty to a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Antoine Smith, a police officer for the City of Cedar Rapids, was ordered to retake his official photo, which he refused. This led to a formal administrative investigation by the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Smith was…

Justia Opinion Summary: In the 1950s, Bert and Donna Miller sought fertility treatment at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Dr. John H. Randall, the head of the department, assisted them, resulting in the birth of three children.…

Justia Opinion Summary: A school district insured its buildings through a policy that covered abrupt collapses caused by perils, including the weight of snow and ice. After a heavy snowstorm, part of the roof of an aged elementary school…

Justia Opinion Summary: A defendant was convicted of third-degree theft after being caught on a store's video footage placing a bottle of liquor under his shirt and leaving without paying. He appealed his conviction and sentence, raising…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, an individual sought certiorari review of a district court order that declined to expunge two parole violation reports from 2006 and 2007. These reports were based on an arrest for driving while barred, a…

Justia Opinion Summary: Marlene Banwart and her husband Richard filed a medical malpractice lawsuit in 2020 against Neurosurgery of North Iowa, P.C., Dr. David Beck, and Dr. Thomas Getta. Marlene had undergone a lumbar laminectomy performed by…

Justia Opinion Summary: Brothers Robert, Gary, and Richard Hunter, experienced farmers, converted their general partnership into a limited liability company (LLC) named Hunter Three Farms, LLC. Each brother owned twenty voting units, while…

Justia Opinion Summary: Marleny Rivas filed a lawsuit against Derek Brownell and Lindsey Wessel to recover damages for injuries she sustained in a car accident on August 4, 2018. Rivas filed her lawsuit on October 16, 2020, beyond the two-year…

Justia Opinion Summary: Ezekiel Kieffer was convicted of domestic abuse assault impeding the flow of air or blood and domestic abuse assault causing injury after an altercation with his girlfriend, Daphne. The incident occurred after they…

Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs, peace officers employed by the Iowa Department of Corrections, alleged that they were disciplined following administrative investigations and subsequently requested copies of witness statements and…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2016, a fourteen-year-old boy was involuntarily committed, disqualifying him from possessing firearms. Eight years later, he petitioned the district court to restore his firearm rights under Iowa Code section 724.31.…

Justia Opinion Summary: Gerry Greenland was convicted of attempted murder, assault on a peace officer with intent to cause serious injury while using a dangerous weapon, and simple assault. The incident occurred on May 23, 2019, when Greenland,…

Justia Opinion Summary: A vacancy on the Scott County Board of Supervisors occurred when Tony Knobbe resigned to become the Scott County Treasurer. A committee of county officials decided to fill the vacancy by appointment and kept certain…

Justia Opinion Summary: Jessenia Burton, a student driver, was involved in a car accident during a drivers' education course on April 30, 2017. Burton and her parents sued several defendants, including West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, which…

Justia Opinion Summary: In June 2020, fourteen-year-old K.S. reported to the Sioux City Police Department that Taylor Smith, then twenty-three, had sexually assaulted her, resulting in her pregnancy. A DNA test confirmed Smith as the father.…

Justia Opinion Summary: A man passed away, and his wife made a claim on his estate for half of the money he had removed from their joint bank account before his death. The wife argued that the couple owned the account as joint tenants, and her…

Justia Opinion Summary: A financial advisor, employed by Principal Securities, Inc., was terminated for failing to obtain a second client consent when rebalancing accounts using a new trading system. The advisor argued that the termination…

Justia Opinion Summary: Benjamin Trane established a private therapeutic boarding school for troubled youth, which was shut down after a police raid. Trane was charged with sexual abuse of a minor, sexual exploitation by a counselor or…

Justia Opinion Summary: An officer on patrol stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction after receiving information that the vehicle’s occupants might have been involved in a drug sale. After initially interacting with the driver, the officer…

Justia Opinion Summary: A landlord, MIMG CLXXII Retreat on 6th, LLC, owns an apartment building in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Mackenzie Miller, a tenant, entered a one-year lease in June 2022. The lease required rent to be paid by the first of each…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lance and Tracy Degeneffe entered into a roofing contract with Home Pride Contractors, Inc. to repair their roof, gutters, and siding after wind and hail damage. Home Pride completed the repairs and billed the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Lukouxs Brown was charged with first-degree murder after allegedly killing a coworker. Before his arraignment, his counsel observed signs of mental illness, including hearing voices and a history of schizophrenia. The…

Justia Opinion Summary: Isaiah Duffield was required to register as a sex offender due to a juvenile adjudication for sexual abuse. In April 2022, he was charged with sexual abuse in the third degree, second or subsequent offense, and failure…

Justia Opinion Summary: In 2017, the Franklin County Board of Supervisors undertook a project to deepen and widen the drainage ditch known as Drainage District No. 48 (DD48). The project affected several landowners, who sought damages for the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Alison Dorsey ran an in-home daycare in Cass County, Iowa. In 2019, an eleven-week-old baby at her daycare died, leading to Dorsey being charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. Her…