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Search results for “government claims”

20 results

my car disappeared in a dust storm near Cedar Rapids and now everyone wants proof

After a highway dust storm crash near Cedar Rapids, the evidence disappears fast, and that matters even more when a health insurer starts claiming your whole settlement.

ARTICLE by Gary Johannsen

Everybody wants a cut of your crash settlement in Waterloo

A Waterloo farm worker on a motorcycle gets rear-ended at a light, the city points at the road defect, and the money fight turns into who grabs the settlement first.

ARTICLE by Keith Haroldson

rear ended in a Cedar Rapids construction zone and insurance denied everything now what

An EMT in Cedar Rapids got rear-ended in a sudden-stop construction zone while on the clock, and the denial may involve a government road claim, a commercial auto policy, and workers' comp all at once.

ARTICLE by Linda VanDerPol

double jeopardy

Can the government try someone twice for the same offense? Usually, no. Double jeopardy is the constitutional protection that bars the government from prosecuting or punishing...

My sister got hurt in an Uber near a Davenport school zone, what deadline matters?

Miss the government-claim timeline and the case can be thrown out before fault is ever decided. What should have happened right away was figuring out who controlled the road or...

Eight months after an Iowa City shoulder crash, your Instagram can still blow up the claim

A pregnant Iowa City business owner got rear-ended on the highway shoulder, can't work normally, and now the trucking insurer is using social media to argue she and the baby are fine.

ARTICLE by Wayne Recker

Iowa Dog Bite Claim and Landlord Liability

Iowa does not give dog owners one free bite, and a landlord usually is not automatically on the hook just because they knew the dog was a problem.

ARTICLE by Angela Washington

statute of limitations for criminal charges

You just got a letter that says prosecutors are reviewing an old case, and one of the first questions is whether they are still allowed to file charges at all. A statute of...

affirmative defense

A defense that accepts the basic accusation for argument's sake but adds new facts or law that can defeat or limit liability or guilt. "Affirmative" matters because the person...

Second busted-up shoulder in Dubuque, and now a crosswalk apparently needs a seatbelt?

A Dubuque construction worker hit in a crosswalk may hear all kinds of garbage from insurance, including blame that makes no sense, even when the driver is facing criminal charges.

ARTICLE by Angela Washington

Not the same thing as a trial jury, and not a group that decides whether someone is guilty. A grand jury is a panel of citizens asked to review evidence presented by a...

search warrant requirements

Like a foreman who cannot just send a crew onto private land without the right address, reason, and limits on the job, police usually cannot search a person, home, car, phone,...

guilty plea vs no contest

Get this wrong, and a quick decision in criminal court can follow someone into a civil case, a job problem, or an insurance fight. A guilty plea is a direct admission of the...

Is a Davenport DoorDash crash claim worth the hassle on Medicare?

The police report says one thing; your claim value turns on much more than that. In Davenport, the report may list basic fault facts, but insurers decide money based on medical...

indictment vs information

Am I being formally charged by a grand jury, or did the prosecutor file the case another way? That is the difference between an indictment and an information. Both are formal...

My coworker said no plate means no claim after a Dubuque hit-and-run, true?

The one thing your employer or landlord is hoping you never find out: no plate does not automatically mean no money. From the insurance company's perspective, they want this to...

Is an Iowa City wrongful death claim worth it after a whiteout crash?

Yes - often it is, but only if the right person files the right claims before the clock runs out. Who can file matters more than people think. In Iowa, a wrongful death claim...

Miss this one, and a bad stop turns into handcuffs, a car search, a jail booking, and charges built on evidence you may never have let police near if you knew your rights....

It is not a magic eraser that makes a case vanish from every database, background check, or memory. What it usually means is that a court orders a criminal record sealed,...

Suing after a two-hit crash in Iowa City can feel ugly - waiting is still smarter

Two impacts in one crash can leave you arguing with two insurers while your income drops fast, and a quick settlement can wreck the rest of the claim.

ARTICLE by Keith Haroldson