The Iowa Supreme Court held in 2021 that police could not conduct warrantless searches of trash set out for collection in communities that prohibit scavenging on the grounds that such property was not yet considered “abandoned” property that could be subject to a warrantless search. In response, the Iowa Legislature enacted a statute declaring that
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Unanimous Supreme Court stresses specificity in wrongful discharge in violation of public policy claims and proper pathways for whistleblower claims
In Brodie, et al. v. Foxhoven, et al., the Iowa Supreme Court affirmed the Iowa District Court for Mills County’s decision to grant summary judgment in favor of defendant Glenwood Resource Center (GRC) in a lawsuit filed by former employees claiming wrongful discharge in violation of public policy. The Court held the plaintiffs failed…
Property owners’ right to control drainage ends at property’s edge, Iowa Supreme Court holds
By Rox Laird
“Since the founding of this state, this court has recognized the general rule that surface water ‘is a common enemy which each landowner may reasonably get rid of in the best manner possible; but in relieving himself he must respect the rights of his neighbor.’”
— Iowa Supreme Court, quoting from the Court’s 1866 decision…
Prosecutor cannot be assessed a monetary penalty for misconduct, Iowa Supreme Court holds
By Rox Laird
A prosecutor cannot be monetarily sanctioned for misconduct in a criminal case, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a unanimous decision in response to what the Court said appeared to be an unprecedented sanction ordered by a district court. The decision in Christensen v. Iowa District Court for Story County was handed down May 30.…
Iowa Court of Appeals April 2025 Published Opinion Roundup
By Rox Laird
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. In April, the Court of Appeals selected six opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those opinions.
International Association of Firefighters Local #1366 v. City of Cedar Falls; Iowa Public Employment Relations Board, No. 23-1368
Opinion date: Filed Oct. 2,…
Bitcoin ATM operator entitled to return of money seized by law enforcement, Iowa Supreme Court holds
By Rox Laird
Two Iowans who deposited cash into bitcoin automated teller machines, as they say they were instructed to do by scammers, will not receive their money back as a result of two Iowa Supreme Court rulings saying the owner of the ATM had the better argument that it was legally entitled to the cash seized by…
Hispanic rights group lacks standing to challenge English-only voting materials, Iowa Supreme Court holds
By Rox Laird
An Iowa organization that advocates on behalf of Hispanic Iowans did not have legal standing to bring suit seeking to dissolve a 13-year-old injunction that barred the Secretary of State from disseminating voter registration materials in languages other than English, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a unanimous decision handed down May 9.
As a…
Iowa Supreme Court rejects bid to abolish exception to Fourth Amendment warrant requirement
By Rox Laird
A law enforcement officer making a roadside stop is legally allowed to search a vehicle without a warrant under an “automobile exception” to the protection against unreasonable searches and seizures granted by the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and separately under the Iowa Constitution. That exception, recognized by the United States Supreme Court and…
Iowa Supreme Court: Union Pacific Railroad not liable for worker’s suicide
By Rox Laird
The Union Pacific Railroad Co. is not liable under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) for the death of an employee who took his own life from emotional distress caused by his supervisor’ harassment, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a decision handed down April 25.
Kera Morgan, as administrator of her late husband Phillip’s…
Iowa Supreme Court removes judicial magistrate from bench for racially derogatory and ‘demeaning and sophomoric’ statements
By Rox Laird
The Iowa Supreme Court removed a part-time judicial magistrate from the bench in a unanimous decision issued April 18 for violations of the Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct in making a racially derogatory statement in an open court proceeding and by making a “demeaning and sophomoric” justification in a written order denying an arrest warrant.…