James Bashore appeals the decree dissolving his marriage to Loriel Bashore (now known as Loriel Nordmeyer). James challenges the district court's admission of exhibit 26, the spousal-support provision, the child-support provision, the division of marit... More...    $0 (07-03-2024 - IA)

onathan and Di were married in China in 2013 and are the parents of N.G.M., who was born the same year. The parties divorced in China in 2018. The dissolution decree included a custody provision that Di would "foster[]" the parties' child, while Jonathan had ... More...    $0 (08-07-2024 - IA)

Bridget and Brett married in 2014, and they have two children, born in 2015 and 2017. The parties' marriage was dissolved by an Arizona decree in 2019, several months after the family moved to Iowa. Bridget and Brett stipulat... More...    $0 (07-19-2024 - IA)

Grundy Center, Iowa family law lawyer represented Petitioner seeking a divorce.


Sheryl and James Wilson married in 1982.1 The marriage lasted thirty-one years. Sheryl worked as a nurse's aide but agreed to give up her job when she became pregnant with the first of two children. Approximately nine years into the marriage, she opened a video store and ran it for about six years. Later,... More...    $0 (04-08-2022 - IA)

Grundy Center, Iowa family law lawyers represented the parties in a divorce case.


Jeff and Renae Hockemeyer met in 2007 in Kansas City, Missouri. After Jeff was laid off following closure of the construction office for which he worked, the two moved together to Jeff's hometown of Grundy Center in February 2008. They married in 2011, and had one child, M.J.H., in 2013. During the marr... More...    $0 (09-26-2021 - IA)

Iowa City, Iowa family law lawyers represented the parties in a divorce case.


Bekele Adam and Habiba Kedir chose to end their marriage. Bekele preferred an annulment, but the district court rejected that bid and granted a dissolution. Bekele appeals contending two statutory grounds exist for an annulment: (1) the marriage was prohibited by law and (2) one of the parties was impotent ... More...    $0 (05-11-2022 - IA)

Waterloo, Iowa family law lawyers represented Petitioner, who sued Respondent seeing a divorce and equitable property division.

Petitioner appealed and respondent cross-appealed from the property provisions of the district court decree dissolving the parties’ marriage. T... More...    $0 (11-18-2021 - IA)

Dustin1 was convicted of aiding and abetting his mother, Ginger Jefferson,
in the stabbing death of his wife, Kerry Jefferson. Dustin and Kerry had a volatile
marriage and lived separately. Dustin lived at his cousin Carlos’s house, but Kerry
often spent time with him there. Kerry fearfully told a friend shortly before her death
that Dustin might hurt or kill her. The next ... More...    $0 (09-14-2018 - IA)

In November 2015, the State charged Fenton with burglary in the third
degree from a motor vehicle, an aggravated misdemeanor, in violation of Iowa
Code section 713.6A(2) (2015). Fenton entered a written guilty plea, allegedly
conditioned upon the court’s acceptance of the negotiated sentence including a
180-day suspended jail term. Fenton planned to request a deferred judgmen... More...    $0 (06-25-2018 - IA)

A. Conviction of Woolheater. The partially decomposed body of Morningstar was discovered in February 2005 in a forested area in Altoona near Woolheater’s home. Police immediately began investigating Woolheater and subsequently charged him with first-degree murder. Woolheater was convicted after a jury trial. The conviction was upheld by the court of appeals. State v. Woolheater, No. 10–0478,... More...    $0 (05-07-2017 - IA)

Lee went to Laos in 2010 to meet and marry M.V. When Lee brought
M.V. to the United States in June 2011, Lee’s former wife, O.L.,2 was still living
with him and was pregnant with his child. M.V. did not speak, read, or write
English and had no relatives in the United States.
In April 2012, M.V. called police and reported Lee had beaten her. Lee
was arrested, and M.V... More...    $0 (02-22-2017 - IA)

Seth and Lisa Techel married in October 2011 and lived in rural Agency.
Lisa worked as a jailer in Washington County, but she had aspirations to become
a deputy sheriff like her father, Todd Caldwell, a longtime deputy sheriff in
Wapello County. Seth also aspired to become a deputy sheriff and had interned
with the Wapello County Sheriff’s Office. Seth worked as a security g... More...    $0 (08-10-2016 - IA)

In the early morning hours of Labor Day, September 1, 2014, Officer Brian Cuppy was on patrol in downtown Des Moines when he saw a truck eastbound on Court Avenue stop for a red light in the middle of the intersection with Water Street with its “back tires . . . more than five feet past the cross walk.” Officer Cuppy followed the truck, activated his police cruiser’s flashing lights, and initiate... More...    $0 (06-25-2016 - IA)

Terry Foth appeals from his conviction and sentence, following a jury trial,
for domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury. Foth asserts the district court
erred when it excluded evidence that the victim allegedly made prior false
accusations of domestic abuse; furthermore, he argues, trial counsel was
ineffective for failing to assert the admission of this evidence was con... More...    $0 (02-24-2016 - IA)

In January 2007, Jesse Brown was charged with first-degree kidnapping
and second-degree sexual abuse after he forced his estranged wife Michelle1
and others into Michelle’s vehicle and ordered her, at knife point, to drive around.
They eventually ended up at a motel, where Jesse had sexual intercourse with
Michelle. Trial in the matter was held in July 2007, and Jesse was ult... More...    $0 (02-06-2016 - IA)

Des Moines, IA - Woman Awarded $500,000 in damages against former lawyer and lover

Melissa Slender sued Anthony Zane Blessum on malpractice, breach of fiduciary trust, domestic assault, battery, outrageous conduct and intentional infliction of emotional distress theories. The Plaintiff, a former client of Defendant in a divorce action claimed that they entered into an unethical sexual re... More...    $498562 (11-19-2015 - IA)

A father appeals the visitation provisions of the decree dissolving his marriage. Specifically, the father challenges a geographical restriction in the decree that limits the father’s summer visitation with his son to visitation within the United States until the child is sixteen years old. The father contends he should be able to exercise summer visitation with his son in Israel prior to the ch... More...    $0 (02-11-2015 - IA)

Matthew Severin appeals from the decree dissolving his marriage to Bouaphan Severin. Matthew asserts (1) the district court’s award of alimony is excessive and (2) the district court erred in awarding Bouaphan the marital home without requiring a cash equalization payment to Matthew of half the home’s equity. Bouaphan cross-appeals arguing the award of alimony is insufficient. We affirm as to ... More...    $0 (08-13-2014 - IA)

Thomas and Amy Schmadeke married in 1994. Four children and eighteen years later, in October 2012, Amy filed her petition for dissolution of marriage, requesting, among other things, child support, an award of spousal support, and an award of attorney’s fees. The district court awarded Amy child support in the amount of $1162 per month, spousal support in the amount of $1000 for sixty months, an... More...    $0 (08-13-2014 - IA)

Melissa Chapman, f/k/a Melissa Dean, appeals and Jeffrey Dean cross-appeals certain economic provisions of the decree dissolving their marriage. Melissa asserts the district court erred in not awarding her a greater cash settlement because it failed to include certain premarital gifts and purchases in its calculation. Jeffrey asserts the court erred in failing to reduce its home equity computation... More...    $0 (03-12-2014 - IA)

Kelli Hill Hunt (n/k/a Kelli Hill) appeals the physical care and property distribution provisions of the decree dissolving her marriage to Tony Hunt. She argues the district court erred in denying her request for a custody investigation, awarding joint physical care, and in the division of the parties’ assets.1 Tony requests appellate attorney fees. We affirm finding the court properly appointed... More...    $0 (03-12-2014 - IA)

Douglas DeBower appeals from the district court’s order granting physical care of his two minor children to their mother, Samantha McDowell. He argues the court erred in its determination that Samantha was the children’s primary caregiver and contends the best interests of the children would be better served by residing with him. Upon review, we affirm the order of the district court.

I... More...    $0 (06-12-2013 - IA)

Tim Le appeals, pro se, challenging the property division provisions of a district court decree dissolving his marriage to Annie Le. He contends (1) Annie violated the Iowa Constitution by trying to make his life miserable, (2) he was denied effective assistance of counsel as guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Iowa Constitution, and (3) the district court’s division of marital ... More...    $0 (06-12-2013 - IA)

James Wasson appeals from the decree dissolving his marriage to Tammy Wasson. He contends the district court erred in granting joint physical care of the parties’ two minor children, in requiring him to pay spousal support, and in ordering him to pay $1500 of Tammy’s trial attorney fees. In response, Tammy requests we affirm the district court’s decree and seeks an award of appellate attorne... More...    $0 (06-12-2013 - IA)

Paul Pelletier appeals, and Karen Pelletier cross-appeals, from the district court’s decree dissolving their marriage. The parties challenge the ruling as it relates to custody, visitation, support, alimony, property distribution, attorney fees, contempt, and a request for an injunction. Because we agree with the findings and analysis of the district court, we affirm.

I. Background Facts ... More...    $0 (06-12-2013 - IA)

Johnnie Waslick appeals from a district court’s grant of a motion for directed verdict at the conclusion of his evidence seeking damages for entry of a divorce decree. He was alleging alternative theories of fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent nondisclosure, and willful wanton conduct justifying punitive damages. We affirm.

I. Background and Facts

In 2006, Gale Simpson filed f... More...    $0 (06-12-2013 - IA)

SCS Property Management, LLC, run by Cindy Jones, leased space to a day care center known as West Side Kids, run by one of its owners, Cindy Vokes. When the five-year lease spanning 2005 to 2010 expired, West Side Kids vacated the premises, taking certain items with it. SCS sued West Side Kids and Vokes for breach of the lease agreement. West Side Kids counterclaimed for breach of the same agreeme... More...    $0 (06-12-2013 - IA)

On the day her father died, Jeannie Schlichte finally felt free. Six months after his death she sued his estate, alleging he sexually abused her across three decades and asking for one million dollars in damages. The estate moved for summary judgment, arguing the suit was barred by the statute of limitations. The district court granted summary judgment, finding Jeannie knew of the abuse and was aw... More...    $0 (01-24-2013 - IA)

Thomas Frederick appeals from the decree dissolving his marriage to Kimberly Frederick. He contends the district court erred in awarding Kimberly spousal support. Because the evidence supports the award, we affirm.

I. Background Facts and Proceedings.

Thomas and Kimberly were married on February 25, 2010. This is the parties’ second marriage to each other. They were married for... More...    $0 (01-24-2013 - IA)

This defamation case concerns Mind, Body and Soul, a book written by Scott Weier. In the author’s words, the book is “based on my life.â€� It discusses Scott’s personal transformation, largely through his relationship with God, following his divorce “on bad termsâ€� from his first wife. Scott’s ex-wife and her father concluded the book falsely accused them of lying, abuse, and suffering ... More...    $0 (01-18-2013 - IA)