Dalarna Farms v. Access Energy Corp.

792 N.W.2d 656 (2010)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
D
From our private database of 46,200+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Dalarna Farms v. Access Energy Corp.

Iowa Supreme Court
792 N.W.2d 656 (2010)

  • Written by Liz Nakamura, JD

Facts

Dalarna Farms (Dalarna) (plaintiff) operated a dairy farm near Access Energy Corporation’s (AEC) (defendant) preexisting electrical utility system. Dalarna’s dairy herd experienced significant health problems because of stray voltage originating from AEC’s electric utility. Dalarna filed a nuisance action against AEC seeking compensation for past and future damages, including for the diminution in Dalarna’s property value. AEC filed a motion for an advisory ruling, arguing that Iowa’s comparative-fault statute should be interpreted to apply to all types of damages awarded to redress a preexisting permanent nuisance. Dalarna challenged, arguing that applying comparative-fault principles to reduce the damages awarded to compensate Dalarna for the diminution in Dalarna’s property value would violate the Takings Clause. The trial court held that, under Iowa law, comparative-fault principles could only be applied to reduce any future damages Dalarna was awarded in lieu of injunctive relief and that comparative-fault principles did not apply to damages awarded for diminution in property value. AEC filed an interlocutory appeal with the Iowa Supreme Court challenging the trial court’s interpretation of Iowa’s comparative-fault statute.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Hecht, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 777,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 777,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 777,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,200 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Torts

Key Terms