The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case Karen Cohen v. David Clark and 2800-1 LLC, during a special evening session in Des Moines, Monday, February 10, at 7:00 p.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the fourth floor of the Judicial Branch Building, 1111 East Court Avenue.
The evening session is open to the public and provides an opportunity for Iowa residents, who may not be able to attend the court's regular morning and afternoon sessions, to watch the court conduct oral arguments in person.
Karen Cohen v. David Clark and 2800-1 LLC, case No. 18-2173 from Johnson County
Karen Cohen and David Clark separately rented space on the same floor of a 2800-1 LLC (landlord) building. The parties stipulated that Cohen has severe allergies to dogs, Clark needs an emotional support animal (ESA), and the landlord waived the no-pets provision in Clark’s lease as an accommodation. Cohen sought damages for breach of contract and interference with the quiet enjoyment of her apartment, alleging the landlord unlawfully accommodated Clark’s ESA, which caused her to have severe allergy attacks. She appeals from the district court’s dismissal of her claims, arguing the court should have granted her relief after finding that the landlord should not have accepted Clark’s request to waive the no-pets provision.
Attorneys' briefs for the case and additional information is posted on the Iowa Judicial Branch website at https://www.iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/supreme-court/supreme-court-oral-argument-schedule/case/18-2173 .
Proceedings will be streamed live on the Iowa Judicial Branch YouTube channel beginning at 6:50 p.m. at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL6EU7W8kqDKnKPUzMdxr_g.
A public reception with the supreme court justices on the second floor of the Judicial Branch Building will follow the oral arguments.
Note to editors: News media are invited to attend the oral arguments. Court rules apply regarding still camera, video camera, audio recording devices, and other electronic devices used during the oral arguments. Broadcasting, recording, photographing, texting, blogging, or tweeting real-time electronic coverage of judicial proceedings is prohibited without prior authorization from the chief justice of the supreme court. The deadline for filing an ENMC request is Friday, February 7, 2020. Information on expanded news media coverage is available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website at https://www.iowacourts.gov/newsroom/expanded-news-media-coverage/.
For More Information:
Steve Davis
Communications Director
Iowa Judicial Branch
[email protected]