Opinion ID: 1243632
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Existence of Legal Duty or Private Cause of Action

Text: Iowa Code section 22.7, Confidential Records, provides in pertinent part: The following public records shall be kept confidential, unless otherwise ordered by a court, by the lawful custodian of the records, or by another person duly authorized to release such information: 1. Personal information in records regarding a student, prospective student, or former student maintained, created, collected or assembled by or for a school corporation or educational institution maintaining such records. Marcus asserts Young and the State were negligent in releasing his student records. Negligence is a common-law tort which we define as conduct that `falls below the standard established by law for the protection of others against unreasonable risk of harm.' Seeman v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 322 N.W.2d 35, 37 (Iowa 1982) (quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts § 282 (1965)). The elements of a negligence claim include existence of a duty to conform to a standard of conduct to protect others, failure to conform to that standard, proximate cause, and damages. Haafke v. Mitchell, 347 N.W.2d 381, 385 (Iowa 1984) (citing W. Prosser, Handbook of the Law of Torts § 30, at 143 (4th ed. 1971)), overruled on other grounds, Gail v. Clark, 410 N.W.2d 662, 669 (Iowa 1987). Thus, a standard of care or duty is a necessary element of negligence. Seeman, 322 N.W.2d at 37. In order for a negligence claim to lie for violation of a statutory duty, such provision must be made, either explicitly or implicitly, by the statute. Id. at 37-38. In the absence of such a provision, the violation of a statutory duty does not give rise to a private cause of action. Id. at 38. Upon examination of chapter 22 of the Iowa Code and rule 681-17.13(22) of the Iowa Administrative Code, it is clear there is no such provision present explicitly creating a private cause of action for the negligent release of confidential information. Iowa Code ch. 22; Iowa Admin.Code r. 681-17.13(22). The question then becomes whether such a cause of action may be implied from the statute. Seeman, 322 N.W.2d at 38. In answering this question, Iowa has adopted a four-factor test established by the United States Supreme Court in Cort v. Ash. Id . (citing Cort v. Ash, 422 U.S. 66, 95 S.Ct. 2080, 45 L.Ed.2d 26 (1975)). The test adopted in Seeman is as follows: 1. Is the plaintiff a member of the class for whose benefit the statute was enacted? 2. Is there any indication of legislative intent, explicit or implicit, to either create or deny such a remedy? 3. Would allowing such a cause of action be consistent with the underlying purpose of the legislation? 4. Would the private cause of action intrude into an area over which the federal government or a state administrative agency holds exclusive jurisdiction? Id.; see also Shidler v. All Am. Life & Fin. Corp., 775 F.2d 917, 921-25 (8th Cir.1985); Bates, 467 N.W.2d at 259; Engstrom, 461 N.W.2d at 313; Unertl v. Bezanson, 414 N.W.2d 321, 325 (Iowa 1987). After applying the four-factor test to this case, the district court held the second and third elements required a finding that no private cause of action exists. On examining the first factor, the court held it can be persuasively argued that [Marcus] is protected by the statute in light of the special provisions relating to confidentiality. Regarding the fourth factor, the district court held such an action would not intrude into any area over which the federal government or a state agency has exclusive jurisdiction. After close examination, we hold the plaintiff's case does not satisfy the requirements under the second and third elements and therefore affirm the district court's grant of the defendants' motion for summary judgment on the basis neither Iowa Code chapter 22 nor Iowa Administrative Code rule 681-17.13(22) provide a private remedy.