CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE.
On February 18, 2021, an Iowa federal court jury rendered a defense verdict for Bowman and Brooke client, Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. The case stemmed from a 2018 injury incident in a Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts Store in Clive, Iowa, near Des Moines. Plaintiff claimed negligence and loss of consortium, asking the jury for $1.4 million. The jury deliberated for approximately one and a half hours and came back with a unanimous defense verdict.
This was the Court’s first civil trial since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The Court went to great lengths to ensure everyone’s safety by implementing several COVID-related protocols and procedures, including:
- Masks or shields worn at all times in the courthouse;
- Counsel were required to wipe down the podium with sanitizing wipes after each use;
- The witness box was protected by plexiglass;
- Witnesses were required to wear masks to and from the witness box, but were required to remove the mask once they were seated;
- Each witness was required to wipe down the witness box area with sanitizing wipes after each use;
- Members of the jury pool were spread around the courtroom six feet apart;
- After they were selected, the members of the jury were spread around the courtroom six feet apart;
- All exhibits were handled electronically, using touchscreen monitors the witnesses could write on;
- All sidebars were handled electronically, using a system of earphones and microphones while the clerk played white noise in the courtroom; and
- The courtroom was disinfected each evening.
Jo-Ann Stores was represented at trial by Steve Reitenour of Bowman and Brooke LLP
Barbara Dobbins, Walter Dobbins, and Linda Blakely v. Jo-Ann Stores, LLC d/b/a Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts