Emily Chafa was named as the recipient of the 2023 Rolland E. Grefe Pro Bono Publico Award honoring her lifelong dedication to increasing access to legal services.   Rolland Grefe, along with Ross Sidney, founded Grefe & Sidney, P.L.C. over 50 years ago. The Rolland E. Grefe Pro Bono Publico Award was established in recognition […]

In 2021, the Iowa legislature codified qualified immunity in the Iowa Municipal Tort Claims Act for the first time. 2021 Iowa Acts ch. 183, section 14 (codified at Iowa Code Section 6704.A (2022)). The legislation codified a qualified immunity protection and also established a heightened pleading requirement for plaintiffs bringing tort claims against municipalities or […]

Peter is an associate attorney in the firm’s litigation division. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa and worked at Nationwide Insurance before attending Drake University Law School. Peter became interested in law school because he was looking for a career that would provide the opportunity to make a meaningful difference and allow him […]

A company called CDM Rentals, LLC, purchased a condominium in Brook Run Park in Des Moines. Shelley and Cameron Barnes began leasing the condo on September 17, 2015. The Barnes’ unit had a garage that let out onto a shared driveway. A rain gutter ran along the roof above the shared driveway. The rain gutter […]

Jim and Angela Sutton’s house sits near an intersection in Council Bluffs where an underground water main broke in November 2020, sending water to the Sutton’s property. The flowing water eventually became standing water and the Suttons alleged the water caused their house to settle, resulting in damage to its foundation, interior walls, garage floors, […]