Opinion ID: 2185443
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Time Limitation on Reopening.

Text: There is no statutory right to a rehearing after the issuance of a no-probable-cause order under Iowa Code section 17A.16, as the order is other agency action, not the result of a contested case. Oliver, 299 N.W.2d at 686. Thus, the only authority for the commission to create a rule that allows for a reopening is to be found in Iowa Code section 601A.15(11): The commission shall establish rules to govern, expedite, and effectuate the procedures established by this chapter and its own actions thereunder. We cannot say that the commission's adoption of a rule regarding reopening is beyond this general mandate. We equate a reopening of an investigation to a petition for rehearing in a contested case. The purpose of a rehearing, or in this case a reopening, serves many of the same purposes as an Iowa Rule of Civil Procedure 179(b) motion. Fisher v. Iowa Bd. of Optometry Examiners, 476 N.W.2d 48, 51 (Iowa 1991). It allows the commission to address issues specifically directed to its attention that it may have previously overlooked. It promotes judicial economy. However, a reopening cannot be granted if the specific time for finality as determined by the legislature (thirty days) has been surpassed.