Justia Iowa Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming the judgment of the district court convicting and sentencing Defendant for driving while license barred, possession of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver marijuana, and failure to affix a drug tax stamp, holding that there was no error in the proceedings below.Specifically, the Court held (1) the police had reasonable suspicion to conduct a traffic stop of Defendant's vehicle, and therefore, the court was not required to suppress the evidence obtained from the stop; (2) trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to move to suppress evidence before Defendant entered his guilty pleas for driving while license barred and possession of marijuana; (3) the district court had a substantial basis for determining that probable cause existed to support the warrant the police executed on Defendant's residence; and (4) the district court did not abuse its discretion in imposing Defendant's sentence. View "State v. Baker" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment and sentence of the district court and remanded for resentencing on restitution for court-appointed attorney fees, holding that the amount of court-appointed attorney fees assessed against the defendant must be determined before the sentencing court determines the reasonable amount the defendant is able to pay.Defendant was charged by a trial information of several crimes. Defendant entered into an Alford plea of guilty to the charge of false report of an incendiary explosive device, and the remaining charges were dismissed. The district court sentenced Defendant, suspended the terms of incarceration, and placed Defendant on probation. The court ordered Defendant to pay restitution, including court costs and court-appointed attorney fees. On appeal, Defendant claimed that the district court (1) imposed an illegal sentence by ordering him to pay costs associated with counts of the trial information later dismissed by the State, and (2) erred in assessing court-appointed attorney fees before the amount of the fees was known. The Supreme Court held that the district court (1) did not err in ordering Defendant to pay court costs, but (2) erred in finding that Defendant had the ability to pay attorney fees before the amount had been determined. View "State v. McMurry" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment and sentence of conviction of the crime of theft in the second degree, holding that the district court imposed an illegal sentence by requiring Defendant to pay the total court costs in this case.The State charged Defendant by an eight-count trial information with multiple crimes. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Defendant pleaded guilty to one count of theft in the second degree, and the State dismissed the remaining counts. At the sentencing hearing, the district court imposed a sentence and ordered that Defendant pay the court costs of the action, including the court costs associated with the dismissed counts. Defendant appealed, arguing that the district court should have apportioned the court costs to limit his responsibility to pay only those costs associated with the single count that resulted in the conviction. The Supreme Court reversed in part and remanded the case for a determination how the service fees should be apportioned so that no service fees were attributed to the counts dismissed. View "State v. Ruth" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant’s convictions but vacated certain portions of Defendant’s sentences, holding that the imposition of a surcharge violated the Ex Post Facto Clauses of the state and federal constitutions and that the district court erroneously ordered restitution without determining Defendant’s reasonable ability to pay.Defendant pled guilty to lascivious acts with a child and sexual exploitation of a minor. On appeal, Defendant argued that the district court failed to comply with Iowa R. Crim. P. 2.8(2)(b) in accepting his guilty pleas, did not adequately inquire into an alleged communication breakdown in the attorney-client relationship, violated the Ex Post Facto Clauses by imposing a surcharge, and erred in ordering restitution without first determining his reasonable ability to pay. The Supreme Court held (1) Defendant did not preserve error on his guilty pleas challenge; (2) the record on appeal was insufficient to conduct an ineffective assistance of counsel analysis and to determine whether the district court adequately inquired into the alleged communication breakdown; and (3) the surcharge and restitution were erroneously imposed. View "State v. Petty" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed the portion of Defendant’s sentence regarding restitution but affirmed the district court’s decisions revoking Defendant’s deferred judgment and probation and sentencing him to serve a maximum of twenty-five years in prison, holding that the court erred in finding Defendant reasonably able to pay restitution when it did not have the total amount of restitution owed.Specifically, the Court held (1) the district court did not abuse its discretion in revoking Defendant’s deferred judgment and probation; (2) the district court did not err in ordering Defendant to serve the twenty-five-year sentence he would have served had the court not granted a deferred judgment; but (3) the court erred in ordering Defendant to pay restitution without knowing the total amount of restitution owed. View "State v. Covel" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant’s convictions for willful injury causing bodily injury and kidnapping in the first degree but vacated the restitution portion of the sentencing order and remanded the case to the district court to order restitution in a manner consistent with this opinion, holding that the restitution order did not comply with restitution law.Specifically, the Court held (1) substantial evidence supported Defendant’s conviction for first-degree kidnapping; (2) Defendant was not prejudiced when the court instructed the jury on a lesser included charge of kidnapping in the second degree; (3) this Court cannot reach Defendant’s ineffective assistance of counsel claims; and (4) the lower court’s finding that Defendant had the reasonable ability to pay and ordering restitution for certain items without having the amount of each item of restitution before it was contrary to the statutory scheme as outlined in this opinion. View "State v. Albright" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court concluding that challenged portions of Iowa Administrative Code rule 441-78.1(4) violate the Iowa Civil Rights Act (ICRA) and determining that the Iowa Department of Human Services’ (DHS) denial of Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgeries was reversible, holding that the rule violates the ICRA’s prohibition against gender-identity discrimination.At issue was the language of rule 441-78.1(4) pertaining to the exclusion of Iowa Medicaid coverage of surgical procedures related to “gender identity disorders” violated the ICRA or the Iowa Constitution’s equal protection clause. The district court concluded that the challenged portions of the rule violated both the ICRA and the Constitution and that the DHS’s denial of Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgeries would result in a disproportionate negative impact on private rights and that the decision was unreasonable, arbitrary, and capricious. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) rule 441-78.1(4)’s exclusion of Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgery violates the ICRA as amended by the legislature in 2007; and (2) under the doctrine of constitutional avoidance the Court did not address the constitutional claim. View "Good v. Iowa Department of Human Services" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant’s conviction of second-degree burglary and reversed the habitual offender judgment and Defendant’s sentence, holding that Defendant’s stipulation to being a habitual offender was not knowingly and voluntarily made.A jury found Defendant guilty of burglary in the second degree. While the jury was in deliberations, Defendant’s counsel informed the court that Defendant would stipulate to predicate priors for the habitual offender charge. The district court sentenced Defendant as a habitual offender to incarceration not to exceed fifteen years and ordered restitution. On appeal, Defendant argued that the district court failed to comply with the requirements set forth in State v. Harrington, 893 N.W.2d 36 (Iowa 2017), in accepting his habitual offender stipulation. The Supreme Court agreed, holding that the stipulation was not knowingly and voluntarily made because the stipulation proceedings did not comply with the Harrington requirements. The Court remanded the case for further proceedings consistent with Harrington. View "State v. Smith" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court entering judgment against a commercial general liability (CGL) insurer on a homeowners’ insurer’s lawsuit seeking reimbursement for the amount it paid to settle a death claim, holding that the district court correctly interpreted the CGL insurance contract, and substantial evidence supported the court’s factual findings on potential liability and the reasonableness of the settlement.A dentist and his wife formed a limited liability company (LLC) that held title to investment properties, including a farmhouse. An accidental shooting at the farmhouse resulted in a death, and a death claim followed. The dentist had purchased homeowners liability insurance and CGL insurance from separate insurers. The CGL insurer denied coverage. The homeowners’ insurer settled the death claim for $900,000. Thereafter, the homeowners’ insurer filed this action seeking subrogation from the CGL insurer. The district court entered judgment against the CGL insurer for $450,000. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the LLC, as owner of the farmhouse, had potential liability under a premises liability theory for a dangerous condition and that the CGL insurer, as coinsurer of the farmhouse property, was obligated to indemnify the homeowners’ insurer for half of the $900,000 settlement. View "Metropolitan Property & Casualty Insurance Co. v. Auto-Owners Mutual Insurance Co." on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals reversing the decision of the district court annulling a writ of certiorari challenging the decision of the City of Ames’s Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) denying Ames 2304, LLC’s permit for an interior model of a nonconforming use residential structure, holding that the ZBA erred in denying Ames 2304’s interior remodeling permit because the remodel would not increase the number of dwelling units in the structure.The proposed remodel in this case would increase the number of bedrooms while maintaining the same number of apartment dwelling units. The ZBA determined that the local zoning ordinance prohibited this increase in the number of bedrooms because it would increase the intensity of the nonconforming use. The Supreme Court held that the ZBA erred in denying the interior remodeling permit because the zoning ordinance defined an “increase in intensity” as an increase in the number of dwelling units, and the remodel would not increase the number of dwelling units in the structure. View "Ames 2304, LLC v. City of Ames, Zoning Board of Adjustment" on Justia Law