Iowa

Iowa Supreme Court Throws Out AFSCME Lawsuit Against Governor Branstad

The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled Governor Branstad had the authority to close the state-run Mental Health Institutes in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant last year. Court: The citizens of Iowa granted the governor item-veto power The court threw out a complaint by two dozen Democrats in the state legislature and the president of the union that represented many of the workers at the two facilities. …


Judge Rules Church Lawsuit Can Move Forward

A church’s lawsuit in Iowa that gained national attention has benefitted from a federal judge’s preliminary ruling. U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie Rose on Oct. 14 denied a request from Iowa state officials to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Fort Des Moines Church of Christ.That means the case will progress to trial. A similar lawsuit is moving forward in Massachusetts, where four church …


Flint: Lawsuit Accuses School System of Failing Lead-Exposed Kids

In Flint, Michigan, the ACLU has filed a class action lawsuit arguing the public school system has not done enough to provide children exposed to lead with sufficient educational services. Flint’s lead poisoning began when an unelected emergency manager appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder switched the source of the city’s …


Judge: Winner’s Lawsuit in Lottery-Fixing Case Can Continue

The winner of a $9 million state lottery jackpot can continue a lawsuit that contends he would have won millions more if the prior drawing had not been rigged by a rogue insider, an Iowa judge has ruled. District Court Judge Karen Romano rejected requests Wednesday to dismiss the case, which is the first filed against the Multi-State Lottery Association over a major jackpot-rigging scandal …


Iowa State Botched Response to 2014 Rape, Lawsuit Alleges

A former Iowa State University student is suing the school for allegedly mishandling the response to her sexual assault by another student in 2014, saying its insensitive approach and bureaucratic errors further traumatized her. The 21-year-old woman alleges in the lawsuit filed last week that university officials “actively discouraged” her from formally reporting the assault, then took months …


Iowa Farm Bureau, Corn Growers Offer to Pay Costs of Water Lawsuit

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) and the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) have offered to underwrite the legal costs for the defense of the drainage districts targeted in the Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) lawsuit. Leaders of the utility claim officials in Buena Vista, Calhoun and Sac Counties have failed to adequately manage 10 drainage districts in their area, causing nitrate levels …


Another Lawsuit Filed Against Bakken Pipeline Over Eminent Domain Concerns

Another lawsuit has been filed by Iowa landowners against Dakota Access’s Bakken Pipeline. According to court documents filed Tuesday in Polk County District Court, Bill Hanigan, of Davis Brown Law Firm, filed a motion to temporarily prevent pipeline construction on property belonging to 14 Polk County landowners. The lawsuit seeks a halt of construction …



First Lawsuit in State Lottery-Fixing Scandal Seeks Millions

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — It was one of those dreams-come-true moments that lotteries love to promote when “Lucky Larry” Dawson smiled as he claimed a $9 million jackpot, surrounded by his kids and grandkids. Five years later, the Iowa man has become the first plaintiff in litigation that threatens to cost state lotteries millions of dollars following an insider jackpot-rigging scandal. A Des …