The Iowa Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in the case of Bert Miller and Nancy Duffner v. State of Iowa during a special evening session on Tuesday, February 11, at 7:00 p.m. The session will take place in the Supreme Court Courtroom located on the fourth floor of the Judicial Branch Building at 1111 East Court Avenue in Des Moines.
This evening session is open to the public, offering an opportunity for residents who are unable to attend regular morning and afternoon sessions to observe court proceedings firsthand. Following the oral arguments, a public reception with supreme court justices will be held in the second-floor Light Court of the Judicial Branch Building, sponsored by the Polk County Bar Association.
The case under consideration involves Iowa’s Fraud in Assisted Reproduction Act (FARA), which became effective on July 1, 2022. This act prohibits healthcare practitioners from providing false information related to assisted reproduction procedures. It also allows children of deceased parents to recover damages under certain circumstances. The central issue is whether FARA applies retroactively to allow recovery for fraudulent insemination conducted over 70 years ago.
Attorneys' briefs for this case are available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website. Additionally, proceedings will be streamed live via the Iowa Judicial Branch YouTube channel.
Members of the news media are invited to attend and cover these oral arguments, subject to court rules regarding electronic devices in courtrooms as outlined in Chapter 25 of the Iowa Court Rules. Further information about expanded news media coverage can be found on the Iowa Judicial Branch website.
For additional details or inquiries, visit the Iowa Supreme Court page on their official website or contact Steve Davis, Communications Director at [email protected].