Translate
Text Highlighter

Bookmark

PDF

Share

Report a problem
AMICUS AI
Citation Codes
Equivalent Citations
citation codes
Docket Number
Attorney(S)
Judges
Are you a practicing lawyer?
Enhance your digital presence and reach by creating a Casemine profile.
Upload pleading to use the new AI search
Cites
Cited by
Citation Codes
Equivalent Citations
citation codes
Docket Number
Attorney(S)
Judges
Smart Summary

Case Summary: Brittani Rucker v. Humboldt Community School District et al., No. 06-0094 (Iowa Sup. Ct. Aug. 17, 2007)

Factual and Procedural Background

Brittani Rucker, age sixteen, collapsed and was injured while marching with the Humboldt High School band in the Humboldt Memorial Day Parade on May 27, 2002. She turned eighteen on February 5, 2004, and filed suit on January 31, 2005 against the Humboldt Community School District, Humboldt High School, and band director Robert Hoffman alleging negligence (failure to supply water and to recognize signs of heat-related illness). The defendants asserted the statute of limitations as an affirmative defense and moved for summary judgment, arguing Rucker's claim was time-barred because she did not file within two years of the injury. Rucker argued Iowa Code section 614.8 tolled the limitations period for minors until one year after attaining majority. The district court granted summary judgment for the defendants, holding section 614.8 does not apply to claims against municipalities under chapter 670. Rucker appealed to the Supreme Court of Iowa, which affirmed.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether Iowa Code section 614.8 (the tolling provision for minors) applies to claims against municipalities under Iowa Code chapter 670, thereby extending the time for a minor-plaintiff to file suit until one year after attainment of majority.

Arguments of the Parties

Appellant's Arguments (Rucker)

  • Section 614.8 extends the time to commence actions in chapter 614 in favor of minors, giving Rucker one year after her eighteenth birthday (until February 5, 2005) to file suit; her January 31, 2005 filing was therefore timely.

Appellees' Arguments (Humboldt)

  • Rucker failed to file within the applicable statute of limitations and her claim is therefore time-barred; because she did not provide notice to the municipality, the applicable limitation period is the two-year period of chapter 614 (Iowa Code § 614.1(2)).

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
Green v. Racing Ass'n of Cent. Iowa, 713 N.W.2d 234, 238 (Iowa 2006) Standard of review for orders granting summary judgment. The court cited this authority to state the applicable summary-judgment standard (review for correction of errors at law and the no-genuine-issue test).
Otterberg v. Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co., 696 N.W.2d 24, 27 (Iowa 2005) Standard of review for summary judgment (quoted authority). Used with Green to frame the summary-judgment standard applied to the motion.
City of Cedar Falls v. Cedar Falls Cmty Sch. Dist., 617 N.W.2d 11, 18 (Iowa 2000) Principle that suits against the government may be maintained only to the extent immunity has been waived by the legislature. Supported the court's statement that chapter 670 is the legislative waiver/exclusive remedy framework for municipal torts and that the school entities fit the statutory definition of municipalities.
Harryman v. Hayles, 257 N.W.2d 631 (Iowa 1977) Held the 90-day incapacitated-plaintiff requirement in the predecessor statute unconstitutional (equal protection). Explained prior invalidation of portions of the municipal notice/limitations statute and the remedial approach (sixty days after incapacity ends).
Miller v. Boone County Hospital, 394 N.W.2d 776 (Iowa 1986) Held the provision requiring commencement within six months unless notice given within sixty days unconstitutional; held chapter 614 is the applicable statute of limitations for actions arising under the municipal-tort statute. Foundational precedent: when no timely notice is given to a municipality, chapter 614's limitation provisions apply; cited to conclude the two-year chapter 614 period governs where no notice was given.
Clark v. Miller, 503 N.W.2d 422, 425 (Iowa 1993) Clarified that Miller struck only the six-month provision and that a plaintiff still has the option to give timely notice; if timely notice is given, a two-year period runs from the date of timely notice. Used to explain the current interplay between chapter 670 notice options and chapter 614 limitations periods; since Rucker conceded no notice, Clark supports application of chapter 614's two-year rule.
Perkins v. Dallas Center-Grimes Cmty. Sch. Dist., 727 N.W.2d 377, 381 (Iowa 2007) Rejected the argument that Miller incorporated chapter 614's tolling provision for minors (section 614.8) into chapter 670; declined to read the tolling provision into the municipal statute. The court relied on Perkins to reject Rucker's argument that section 614.8 tolled municipal claims; the present court declined to revisit Perkins.
Conner v. Fettkether, 294 N.W.2d 61, 63 (Iowa 1980) Described section 614.8 as "an extension, not a limitation," implying it does not fit where only chapter 614 limitations were referenced. Quoted in Perkins and relied on here to support that section 614.8 is not automatically incorporated into chapter 670.
Harden v. State, 434 N.W.2d 881, 884 (Iowa 1989) Held the tolling provisions of section 614.8 do not apply to statutes of limitation outside of chapter 614. Applied as authority reinforcing that section 614.8 is limited by its own language to chapter 614 and does not apply to chapter 670 claims absent legislative action.
McElroy v. State, 703 N.W.2d 385, 394 (Iowa 2005) Statement that the court does not overturn precedents lightly. Invoked to justify adherence to prior holdings (not revisiting Perkins).

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The court began from the premise that Iowa Code chapter 670 is the exclusive remedy and waiver framework for torts against municipalities and their employees, and that the school defendants and the band director (sued in his municipal-employee capacity) fall within chapter 670. It analyzed Iowa Code section 670.5 (the municipal notice and limitations provision) and summarized prior judicial invalidation of portions of that provision (notably Harryman and Miller) and subsequent clarification in Clark.

The court observed that Rucker conceded she did not provide notice to the municipality. Under this court's precedent, when a plaintiff does not give timely notice to the municipality the applicable statute of limitations is found in chapter 614 (specifically Iowa Code section 614.1(2), which requires suit within two years of the date of injury). Because Rucker did not bring suit within two years of her May 27, 2002 injury, her claim was time-barred.

The court addressed Rucker's contention that section 614.8's tolling for minors extended her deadline to one year after attaining majority. The court relied on its recent decision in Perkins and earlier authority (Conner, Harden) to hold that section 614.8's tolling language is limited to chapter 614 and was not to be read into chapter 670. The court noted the legislature subsequently amended section 670.5 and section 614.8 to make the tolling provision apply to chapter 670, but the amendments apply only to injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2007, and thus do not affect the present case.

Holding and Implications

Holding: The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED. Rucker's claim is barred by the statute of limitations because she did not file her claim within two years of the date of injury; the tolling provision of Iowa Code section 614.8 does not apply to claims brought under chapter 670 for injuries occurring before July 1, 2007.

Implications: The direct effect is dismissal of Rucker's claim as time-barred. The court adhered to existing precedent (declining to revisit Perkins) and noted that legislative amendments now extend section 614.8's tolling to chapter 670 prospectively for injuries on or after July 1, 2007; the decision does not announce a new rule beyond its application of prior authorities. Three justices (Wiggins, Hecht, and Appel) dissented.

Brittani RUCKER, Appellant, v. HUMBOLDT COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, Humboldt High School, and Robert Hoffman, Band Director, Appellees.

STREIT, Justice.

Sometimes it pays to be a kid, but in this case it does not. When Brittani Rucker was sixteen years old, she collapsed and suffered injuries while participating in a parade with her high school's marching band. Approximately two-and-a-half years later she filed suit against Humboldt Community School District, Humboldt High School, and the band director alleging their negligence caused her injuries. The defendants filed a motion for summary judgment arguing Rucker's claim was untimely because she was required to file her claim within two years of her injury. Rucker countered Iowa Code section 614.8 (2005) extended the time to file her claim to one year after her eighteenth birthday. The district court ruled in favor of the defendants, holding section 614.8 does not apply to claims against municipalities under chapter 670. We affirm.

I. Facts and Prior Proceedings

Rucker was a member of the Humboldt High School Band. On May 27, 2002, Rucker marched with the band in the Humboldt Memorial Day Parade. It was hot and muggy. Following the band's performance at the band shell in Bicknell Park, the band members were instructed to remain at attention and listen to the guest speeches. During one of these speeches, Rucker was injured when she collapsed and fell forward landing on her chin and face. She was sixteen years old at the time. Rucker turned eighteen on February 5, 2004.

Rucker filed this lawsuit on January 31, 2005. She alleged Robert Hoffman, the band director, was negligent in failing to supply water to the band members and failing to recognize the signs of heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and/or dehydration. She alleged the Humboldt Community School District and Humboldt High School were liable for Hoffman's negligent acts under the doctrine of respondeat superior.

The defendants (hereafter collectively "Humboldt") asserted the affirmative defense of the statute of limitations in their amended answer. Humboldt then moved for summary judgment. Humboldt argued Rucker's claim was time barred because she failed to file it within two years of her injury. Rucker countered her claim was timely because she filed it within one year after her eighteenth birthday. The district court granted Humboldt's motion for summary judgment, holding Iowa Code section 614.8, which tolls the statute of limitations for minors, does not apply to actions against municipalities. Rucker appealed.

II. Standard of Review

We review orders granting summary judgment for correction of errors at law. Green v. Racing Ass'n of Cent. Iowa, 713 N.W.2d 234, 238 (Iowa 2006) (citing Otterberg v. Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co., 696 N.W.2d 24, 27 (Iowa 2005)).

"A motion for summary judgment should only be granted if, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, `the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.'"
Id. (quoting Otterberg, 696 N.W.2d at 27).

III. Merits

The issue before us is whether Iowa Code section 614.8, which tolls the statute of limitations for minors in some actions, applies to the present case. For the reasons that follow, we conclude it does not.

Iowa Code chapter 670 is the exclusive remedy for torts against municipalities and their employees. See Iowa Code § 670.4; City of Cedar Falls v. Cedar Falls Cmty Sch. Dist., 617 N.W.2d 11, 18 (Iowa 2000) ("Suits against the government may be maintained only to the extent immunity has been expressly waived by the legislature."). Humboldt Community School District and Humboldt High School are "municipalities" as defined by Iowa Code section 670.1(2). Rucker's claims against Hoffman are also subject to Iowa Code chapter 670 because Hoffman is being sued in his capacity as a municipal employee. See Iowa Code § 670.2.

Iowa Code section 670.5 provides a time period within which a plaintiff must file notice and bring suit against a municipal defendant:

Every person who claims damages from any municipality . . . on account of any wrongful death, loss or injury within the scope of section 670.2 or section 670.8 or under common law shall commence an action therefor within six months, unless said person shall cause to be presented to the governing body of the municipality within sixty days after the alleged wrongful death, loss or injury a written notice stating the time, place, and circumstances thereof and the amount of compensation or other relief demanded. . . . No action therefor shall be maintained unless such notice has been given and unless the action is commenced within two years after such notice. The time for giving such notice shall include a reasonable length of time, not to exceed ninety days, during which the person injured is incapacitated by the injury from giving such notice.

We have previously held two portions of section 670.5 and its predecessor, section 613A.5, unconstitutional. In Harryman v. Hayles, 257 N.W.2d 631 (Iowa 1977), we held the requirement that an incapacitated plaintiff must sue within ninety days of an injury was a denial of equal protection. Harryman, 257 N.W.2d at 634-35. We held an incapacitated individual shall have sixty days following the termination of the incapacity to bring suit. Id. at 635. We left the rest of the statute intact. Id. In Miller v. Boone County Hospital, 394 N.W.2d 776 (Iowa 1986), we held the statute's requirement that a plaintiff commence an action within six months after injury unless notice was provided to the municipality within sixty days was also a denial of equal protection. Miller, 394 N.W.2d at 780. There, we said "because section 613A.5 [now 670.5] is unconstitutional, we hold that Iowa Code chapter 614 is the applicable statute of limitations for all actions arising under chapter 613A [now 670]." Id. at 781.

In a later case, we clarified that our Miller opinion struck down only the provision requiring commencement of an action within six months if notice is not given within sixty days. Clark v. Miller, 503 N.W.2d 422, 425 (Iowa 1993). In Clark, we held a plaintiff suing a municipality under chapter 670 still had the option of providing "timely notice" to the municipality. Id.; see Perkins v. Dallas Center-Grimes Cmty. Sch. Dist., 727 N.W.2d 377, 381 (Iowa 2007) (stating "[t]imely notice, we believe, means notice within a reasonable time after the injury"). Under such a scenario, the limitation for filing suit under chapter 670 is "two years after timely notice of the claim has been given." Clark, 503 N.W.2d at 425. If a plaintiff does not give timely notice of his claim to the municipality, then the applicable statute of limitations is found in chapter 614. Miller, 394 N.W.2d at 781. Iowa Code section 614.1(2) requires a plaintiff to file suit within two years from the date of injury.

In the present case, Rucker concedes she did not provide notice (timely or otherwise) to Humboldt. Thus, she was required to file suit within two years from May 27, 2002, the date of her injury. She did not do so. Consequently, her claim is barred.

Rucker argues our holding in Miller incorporated chapter 614's tolling provision for minors with respect to claims against municipalities. Section 614.8(2) provides "[t]he times limited for actions in this chapter . . . are extended in favor of minors, so that they shall have one year from and after attainment of majority within which to commence an action." Under this theory, Rucker's claim, which she filed on January 31, 2005, was timely because she had until February 5, 2005 to bring suit.

We recently rejected this argument in Perkins. There, we said:

[N]othing in Miller or any of our other cases has indicated that the tolling provision was intended to be read into section 670.5. In Conner v. Fettkether, 294 N.W.2d 61, 63 (Iowa 1980), we said the tolling provision of section 614.8 is "an extension, not a limitation," so Miller's reference to the limitation provisions of chapter 614 would necessarily exclude section 614.8(2). Moreover, we held in Harden v. State, 434 N.W.2d 881, 884 (Iowa 1989), that "the tolling provisions of section 614.8 do not apply to statutes of limitation outside of chapter 614. Section 614.8 states that it applies to the `times limited for actions herein,' and is, therefore, limited by its own language to chapter 614. . . ."
Perkins, 727 N.W.2d at 380. In short, we held "[t]he Iowa legislature has never indicated any intent to incorporate a tolling provision in chapter 670, and we decline[d] to do so by relying on the broad language of Miller." Id. at 381. We see no reason to revisit our holding in Perkins. See McElroy v. State, 703 N.W.2d 385, 394 (Iowa 2005) (noting "[w]e do not overturn our precedents lightly and will not do so absent a showing the prior decision was clearly erroneous"). Iowa Code section 614.8 does not save Rucker's claim.

In Perkins, we noted "section 670.5 ha[d] not been amended to reflect the holdings in our cases of Harryman (decided in 1977) and Miller (decided in 1986). . . . We respectfully urge[d] the legislature to examine the statute and clarify its present status in view of our rulings." Perkins, 727 N.W.2d at 381 n. 1. Shortly thereafter, the legislature did amend section 670.5. It now states:

Except as provided in section 614.8, a person who claims damages from any municipality or any officer, employee or agent of a municipality for or on account of any wrongful death, loss, or injury . . . shall commence an action therefor within two years after the alleged wrongful death, loss or injury.

2007 Iowa Acts, S.F. 384, § 5. The legislature simplified the statute by removing the notice requirement. It also changed the statute so that the tolling provision for minors found in section 614.8 now applies to municipal tort claims. Likewise, section 614.8(2) was amended so that it now reads "the times limited for actions in this chapter, or chapter . . . 670 . . . are extended in favor of minors, so that they shall have one year from and after attainment of majority within which to file a complaint. . . ." Id. § 2 (emphasis added). These amendments do not change the outcome in this case because they only apply to claims "arising out of an alleged death, loss, or injury occurring on or after July 1, 2007." Id. § 6.

IV. Conclusion

Rucker's claim against Humboldt is barred by the statute of limitations because she did not file her claim within two years of the date of her injury. The tolling provision for minors found in section 614.8 does not apply to claims brought under Chapter 670 for injuries occurring before July 1, 2007.

AFFIRMED.

All justices concur except WIGGINS, HECHT, and APPEL, JJ., who dissent.

WIGGINS, Justice (dissenting).

I dissent. In Miller v. Boone County Hospital, this court held "because section [ 670.5] is unconstitutional, we hold that Iowa Code chapter 614 is the applicable statute of limitations for all actions arising under chapter [670]." 394 N.W.2d 776, 781 (Iowa 1986). In Perkins v. Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District, the majority resurrected part of Iowa Code section 670.5. 727 N.W.2d 377, 381 (Iowa 2007). There, the majority held if a claimant gave notice of an injury to a governmental entity, the claimant has two years from the date of giving notice to file an action.

In today's decision, the majority completes section 670.5's resurrection by holding if the claimant fails to give any notice, a two-year statute of limitations applies. Today's decision is not only contrary to this court's holding in Miller, but it also rewrites the statute in a manner inconsistent with the present legislative intent.

Prior to this court's decision in Miller, the two-year limitation period contained in section 670.5 only applied if the claimant gave notice of an injury. Under the plain language of section 670.5, the statute shortened the limitations period to six months if the claimant did not give notice. Iowa Code § 670.5. In Miller, this court held "[f]ailure to commence an action within six months unless a notice is given within 60 days arbitrarily bars victims of governmental torts while victims of private torts suffer no such bar." Miller, 394 N.W.2d at 780. Accordingly, in Miller this court held the six-month limitations period unconstitutional. Id.

It is not this court's function to write a new statute when the court finds a portion of the statute unconstitutional. When the legislature fails to act after this court finds a statute to be unconstitutional, our proper function is to determine what statute of limitations applies under the facts presented.

For the reasons stated in my dissent in Perkins, sections 614.1(2) and 614.8(2) should apply to Rucker's claim. See Perkins, 727 N.W.2d at 381-33 (Wiggins, J., dissenting). Sections 614.1(2) and 614.8(2) extend the time Rucker can file her claim for one year from and after her attainment of majority. Iowa Code §§ 614.1(2), 614.8(2).

Additionally, the application of chapter 614 to Rucker's claim is consistent with the present legislative intent. Subsequent to our decision in Perkins, the legislature amended section 670.5 to extend a claimant's statute of limitations for one year from and after the attainment of majority. 2007 Iowa Acts, S.F. 384, §§ 2, 5.

The majority discounts the enactment of this statute as evidencing legislative intent because its effective date was only to claims "arising out of an alleged death, loss, or injury occurring on or after July 1, 2007." Id. § 6. I disagree. The legislature had to delay the enactment of the statute to avoid barring the claims of those persons who gave notice under the statute as resurrected by Perkins because those giving notice have two years from the date of giving notice to file a claim, rather than two years from the date of injury to file a claim.

Therefore, because Rucker was a minor, her statute of limitations is extended for one year from and after her attainment of majority. Iowa Code § 614.8(2).

HECHT and APPEL, JJ., join this dissent.

Use AI to get other relevant cases.

Comments

RUCKER v. HUMBOLDT COMMUNITY SCHOOL
(Aug 17, 2007)