Appellate Opinions from Business Court Cases

Iowa Supreme Court Opinions from Business Court Cases

• Heartland Co-op v. Nationwide Agribus. Ins., 18 N.W.3d 729 (Iowa 2025) (affirming summary judgment interpreting loss limitation provision in commercial property insurance policy for derecho damage at multiple insured sites).
   
• Waterloo Cmty. Sch. Dist. v. Emps. Mut. Cas. Co., 18 N.W.3d 257 (Iowa 2025) (affirming summary judgment interpreting code upgrade provision in commercial property insurance policy resolving claims from partial roof collapse).
   
• Vagts v. N. Nat. Gas Co., 8 N.W.3d 501 (Iowa 2025) (affirming judgment on $4.75 million jury verdict for dairy farmer on stray voltage nuisance claim against pipeline operator).
   
• Hora v. Hora, 5 N.W.3d 635 (Iowa 2024) (affirming judgment rejecting claims for breach of fiduciary duty and fraud in family farming operation).
   
• Chicoine v. Wellmark, Inc., 2 N.W.3d 276 (Iowa 2024) (affirming ruling denying certification of class of chiropractors against health insurer under the Iowa Competition Act).
   
• Meade v. Christie, 974 N.W.2d 770 (Iowa 2022) (reversing interlocutory ruling and remanding for dismissal under heightened pleading requirement of Iowa’s director shield statute in a “going private transaction”).
   
• EMC Ins. Grp., Inc. v. Shepard, 960 N.W.2d 661 (Iowa 2021) (affirming summary judgment dismissing shareholder’s claim asserting appraisal rights in a merger).
   
• Lemartec Eng’g & Constr. v. Advance Conveying Techs., LLC, 940 N.W.2d 775 (Iowa 2020) (reversing summary judgment on claim preclusion and issue preclusion in a construction project dispute).
   
• Merrill v. Valley View Swine, LLC, 941 N.W.2d 10 (Iowa 2020) (affirming award under cost-shifting statute for frivolous claims against a confined animal feeding operation).
   
• Winger Contracting Co. v. Cargill Inc., 926 N.W.2d 526 (Iowa 2019) (affirming summary judgment for lessor determining priorities in mechanic’s lien foreclosure action on construction work hired by lessee).
   
• Honomichl v. Valley View Swine, LLC, 914 N.W.2d 223 (Iowa 2018) (reversing partial summary judgment on the statutory immunity for confined animal feeding operations).

Iowa Court of Appeals Opinions from Business Court Cases

• C.A. v. Amerigroup Iowa, Inc., No 24–0220, 2025 WL 1824374 (Iowa Ct. App. July 2, 2025) (affirming summary judgment in dispute over insurance company’s handling of treatment).
   
• Heishman v. Farm Credit Servs. of Am., No. 23–0867, 2024 WL 4222584 (Iowa Ct. App. Sept. 18, 2024) (affirming summary judgment dismissing economic duress claim over loan restructuring agreement in family farm operation).
   
• Goettsch v. Heidman L. Firm, No. 22–0392, 2024 WL 2309532 (Iowa Ct. App. May 22, 2024) (affirming judgment on jury verdict rejecting legal malpractice claims over buyout of shares of family farm corporation).
   
• Fox Prairie Invs., LLC v. Walters Cos., Inc., No. 23–0236, 2024 WL 2045626 (Iowa Ct. App. May 8, 2024) (affirming summary judgment in construction project dispute over validity of assignment of claims).
   
• Raders v. Price, No. 22–1786, 2024 WL 950743 (Iowa Ct. App. Mar. 6, 2024) (application of investment advice agreement and interpretation of agreement’s statute of limitation clause).
   
• Van Horn v. Van Horn Farms, Inc., No. 17–0324, 2018 WL 3060240 (Iowa Ct. App. June 20, 2018) (minority-shareholder oppression claim in a closely held family farming operation).