Opinion ID: 2227503
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Right of Assumption

Text: The District's requested jury instruction No. 1 concerned a right of assumption. It would have informed the jury that [o]ne may presume the due care of others until he knows or in the exercise of reasonable care should know otherwise. Jorgensen v. Horton, 206 N.W.2d 100, 105 (Iowa 1973). The District contends the instruction was appropriate and the court erred in refusing to give it because the District's employee was entitled to presume Sergeant Wilson would not leave the key in the golf cart's ignition. The presumption relied on by the District would not apply to those who are not themselves exercising ordinary care. 65A C.J.S. Negligence § 118(3) (1966). We have previously determined it was a jury issue whether the District could assume the golf cart was safe for the children to play on, or whether in the exercise of ordinary care it was required to intervene. The District was free to argue it could not have anticipated Sergeant Wilson would leave the key in the golf cart, and that the cart was otherwise harmless. We find no prejudicial error in the court's refusal to give the requested instruction.