Johnson v. Humboldt County

The district court correctly granted summary judgment in favor Humboldt County on Plaintiff’s claim that the county was liable for the injuries she received when her vehicle went off the county road and into a ditch then struck a concrete embankment in the ditch based on the public-duty doctrine.The embankment in this case had been constructed by a private landowner and was on the private landowner’s land, but the county had a right-of-way easement where part of the embankment was located. In her complaint, Plaintiff alleged that the county should have caused the removal of the concrete embankment from the ditch. The Supreme Court affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgment, holding that the public-duty doctrine is “alive and well in Iowa” and applies to the facts of this case. View "Johnson v. Humboldt County" on Justia Law