Articles by David Pitt

Despite Finding Insurer’s Actions ‘Reprehensible,’ Iowa Court Slashes Payment to Paralyzed Worker

The Iowa Supreme Court has dramatically reduced the compensation a paralyzed northeast Iowa man received from a jury in a lawsuit against an insurance company even while finding the company’s actions were “reprehensible.” Despite criticizing the treatment by Louisiana-based workers’ …

Iowa Court Slashes Insurer’s Payment to Paralyzed Worker

The Iowa Supreme Court has dramatically reduced the compensation a paralyzed northeast Iowa man received from a jury in a lawsuit against an insurance company even while finding the company’s actions were “reprehensible.” Despite criticizing the treatment by Louisiana-based workers’ …

Iowa Board Backs Adding PTSD to Medical Marijuana Program

An Iowa state board has recommended that medical marijuana should be a prescription option for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and intellectual disability with aggression, but it rejected the drug for two other conditions petitioners had requested. The Iowa Medical Cannabidiol …

Midwest Farmers Feel Pain of Trade War with China

China’s announcement of higher tariffs on $60 billion of American exports — retaliation for President Donald Trump’s latest penalties on Chinese goods — hit particularly hard in the farm belt. China’s vast consumer market has been a vital source of …

Iowa Egg Farm Sues Contractor Over Bird Flu Disinfection Damage

An Iowa egg farm that killed millions of chickens because of a 2015 bird flu outbreak is suing companies hired by the federal government to disinfect barns. Sunrise Farms says the chlorine dioxide gas and heat treatments used to kill …

Unexpected Iowa Tornadoes Flatten Buildings, Injure at Least 17

Thousands of people were without power Friday after a flurry of unexpected tornadoes swept through central Iowa, injuring at least 17 people and flattening buildings in three cities. The storms even surprised weather forecasters when they hit the region Thursday …

Iowa Supreme Court Rules Union Workers May Sue for Wrongful Discharge

Two former Iowa Workforce Development judges may sue the agency for wrongful discharge after the Iowa Supreme Court made significant rulings in their cases on June 15 that could have broad implications for other state workers. Susan Ackerman sued in …

Iowa Supreme Court Reduces Liability of Governments for Road Safety

A recent Iowa Supreme Court decision involving a 2013 car accident on a northwest Iowa county road could make it more difficult for citizens to hold city, county and state officials responsible when people are hurt as the result of …

Salmonella in Chicken Salad From Iowa Kills 1, Sickens 265 in 8 States

Chicken salad made by an Iowa food processing company and distributed by Fareway Stores in the Midwest sickened 265 people in eight states and caused one death in Iowa from salmonella contamination, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …

Fareway Chicken Salad Produced at Iowa Processing Plant Recalled

The federal government issued a recall of chicken salad made by an Iowa processing company and distributed by Fareway Stores which has now sickened more than 100 people in five states and prompted lawsuits in Illinois, Iowa and South Dakota. …