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Joy Trueblood, M.D.
v.
MMIC Insurance, Inc.
Appellant
Joy Trueblood, M.D.
Appellee
MMIC Insurance, Inc.
Attorneys for the Appellant
Well L. Wassmer
Nicholas C. Rowley and Dominic F. Pechota
Attorneys for the Appellee
Charles E. Spevacek (pro hac vice)
Jason Wallace Miller and Gregory Andrew Witke
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Samantha Gronewald, Judge. AFFIRMED ON APPEAL AND CROSS-APPEAL. Heard by Schumacher, P.J., and Buller and Langholz, JJ. Opinion by Langholz, J. (16 pages)
Dr. Joy Trueblood appeals the summary judgment ruling dismissing her tort claims against her insurance carrier, MMIC Insurance, Inc., under the Full Faith and Credit Clause because the same claims were previously dismissed in a Minnesota state court proceeding. MMIC cross-appeals the denial of its requests for sanctions against Trueblood for filing a frivolous suit for an improper purpose. OPINION HOLDS: The Minnesota judgment is a final decision on the merits reached after Trueblood had a full and fair opportunity to litigate her claims. The Full Faith and Credit Clause thus demands that we give our sister state’s judgment preclusive effect, foreclosing Trueblood’s second try at suing MMIC. Even so, we cannot say that the district court abused its discretion in declining to sanction Trueblood for filing this suit.
