Justice
Lawmakers advance liability protection for gun manufacturers, sellers
Gun and ammunition manufacturers and sellers would be shielded from liability for shooting injuries and deaths under legislation approved Thursday by an Iowa House committee. House Study Bill 116 states that the manufacture and distribution of firearms by duly authorized entities is “not unreasonably dangerous.” It would prevent lawsuits for nuisance abatement or recovery of […]
Appeal in Godfrey case resurrects issues of discrimination and retaliation
One year after the state of Iowa announced it was appealing a $1.5 million jury award for a former state official who alleged discrimination by former Gov. Terry Branstad, the decade-long dispute is finally moving toward resolution. Last week, the Iowa Supreme Court notified attorneys in the case that oral arguments are scheduled for March […]
Hospital says surgeon’s libel claim poses an ‘urgent’ threat to public welfare
Can individuals and hospitals be sued for libel after reporting suspected physician misconduct to state licensing officials? That’s one of the questions facing the Iowa Supreme Court in a case involving an Iowa surgeon fired from a Hamilton County hospital for alleged patient-care issues. Thirteen months ago, an Iowa judge ruled that Dr. Mark Andrew […]
Funeral home director and DMACC accused in sexual harassment lawsuits
A Des Moines Area Community College student is suing the school, alleging she was the victim of sexual assault and harassment at the hands of an Iowa funeral home director. The woman alleges the funeral home director assaulted her while the two were transporting bodies and while they worked in a funeral home’s embalming room. […]
Court of Appeals hears case on hospital patient’s alleged abuse
The Iowa Court of Appeals is poised to rule on a lawsuit that pits state regulators against a nurse accused of physically abusing a hospital patient. The case involves a 66-year-old woman who in 2017 was a patient in the Behavioral Unit of St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids. The woman was diagnosed with bipolar […]
Court clerk who was found out passed out at work disciplined by board
A law clerk for the Iowa Judicial Branch, who was alleged to be drunk at work amid a series of alcohol-related arrests in 2019, has been publicly reprimanded by the Iowa Supreme Court’s Attorney Disciplinary Board. Board records indicate that Deanna Steinbach of West Des Moines, a law clerk and an Iowa-licensed attorney, was arrested […]
Governor’s ‘Back the Blue’ bill faces opposition from all sides
A new policing bill faces opposition from all sides, from the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement to several law enforcement organizations. Reynolds’ proposal, Senate Study Bill 1140, was introduced in the Iowa Senate this week. The 28-page bill would forbid police officers from treating civilians differently based on personal characteristics, including race. It would also […]
Cedar Rapids attorney disciplined for the third time
A Cedar Rapids attorney has been publicly reprimanded for her mishandling of a client’s probate case. The attorney, Kathryn E. Davis, allegedly acknowledged to the Iowa Supreme Court’s Attorney Disciplinary Board that she accepted probate cases, which typically involve the settling of estates left by deceased individuals, without understanding the nature of those cases. “I […]
Bill to allow lawmakers to overturn Supreme Court stalls
A bill that would give the Legislature the authority to overturn certain Iowa Supreme Court rulings stalled Tuesday when it could not get two votes to advance in the Iowa House. Rep. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville, the bill’s sponsor, was the only supporter Tuesday of House File 109, which would give lawmakers the ability to overturn […]
Iowa mother sues over state-run facility’s use of ‘torture’ device and isolation
A western Iowa mother is suing the state of Iowa for allegedly subjecting her son to assault and isolation while the boy resided at the state-run Boys State Training School in Eldora. It is the first such lawsuit to follow a federal judge’s finding last year that officials who ran the Eldora home had “tortured” […]
State suspends law license of public defender who served on city council
The Iowa Supreme Court has suspended the law license of a public defender and former Council Bluffs City Council member. It is the fifth disciplinary action taken against attorney Chad Primmer, but the first that has been made public. Court records indicate Primmer violated the rules governing client trust accounts, which are designed to segregate […]
Polk County prosecutor agrees to plea deal for former Van Buren County prosecutor
The former Van Buren County prosecutor removed from office for what the Iowa Supreme Court called “shocking” displays of sexual harassment has pleaded guilty to reduced criminal charges stemming from an altercation in Des Moines last summer. Former Van Buren County Attorney Abraham Watkins was arrested the afternoon of Aug. 30, 2020, on Court Avenue […]