(KIWA Staff Photo)
Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — The Iowa Supreme Court has overturned a lower-court ruling on the state law that gives farm owners immunity for accidents with animals.
Janey Shafer was helping Frank Santana with his horse-drawn sickle mower when the horses got spooked and ran over her in Madison County in 2021. Shafer was left paralyzed and sued Santana. The district court ruled Santana had immunity under Iowa’s Domesticated Animal Activities Act, but the Court of Appeals ruled there could be a case that Santana was reckless.
The Iowa Supreme Court ruling says the action was dangerous, but there’s no evidence that Santana was reckless. It says the legislature has made a policy choice to grant negligent owners of domesticated animals immunity for injuries that result from an animal’s inherent unpredictability, and the court is obligated to apply that law.
Shafer says her medical expenses exceeded $700,000 and her lawsuit alleged damages of $18.2 million.
