Opinion ID: 1954272
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Attorney fees and litigation expenses.

Text: The district court ordered the State's lien reduced for attorney fees and pro rata unreimbursed expenses of litigation. Section 85.22(1) expressly allows a deduction for attorney fees. The district court determined that attorney fees of thirty-three-and-one-third percent of the amount received were reasonable. We agree. See Farris v. General Growth Dev. Corp., 381 N.W.2d 625, 626-27 (Iowa 1986); see also Kirkpatrick v. Patterson, 172 N.W.2d 259, 261-62 (Iowa 1969) (fee allowed under this section not to be measured by contingent fee contract between employee and attorney, but what is reasonable under the circumstances). The State's lien should accordingly be reduced by such an amount. Although section 85.22(1) does not expressly include a deduction for other litigation expenses, we include them as an adjunct to attorney fees. Fisher, 485 N.W.2d at 630. We reverse the declaratory judgment entered by the district court and remand for entry of a judgment consistent with this opinion. REVERSED AND REMANDED.