Justia Iowa Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

Employee filed a personal injury lawsuit against a company under common ownership with Employer and ultimately settled the claim. About nine months after the settlement, Employer terminated Employee's employment. Employee filed suit against Employer, asserting an intentional tort claim for wrongful termination in violation of public policy and claiming that Employer terminated his employment because he brought the previous personal injury claim. The district court granted Employer motion to dismiss for failure to make a claim. The court of appeals reversed. On review, the Supreme Court vacated the court of appeals and affirmed the district court, holding that Iowa Code 668, the state's comparative fault statute, did not contain a clearly defined and well-recognized public policy of the state limiting an employer's discretion to discharge an at-will employee. View "Berry v. Liberty Holdings, Inc." on Justia Law