Opinion ID: 1351755
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Loss of Consortium and Support.

Text: We have not previously considered whether a child has an actionable claim of loss of consortium and support against a parent. This is because parental immunity has existed throughout most of the development of our law to immunize parents from any tort claims by children. However, we partially abrogated the immunity doctrine in 1981, and no longer recognize parental immunity as a bar to an action by an unemancipated child against a parent for damages caused by the negligence of the parent. Turner v. Turner, 304 N.W.2d 786, 788-89 (Iowa 1981). Instead, immunity exists only for negligent acts involving the exercise of parental authority over a child or the exercise of parental discretion in providing care. Smith v. Smith, 646 N.W.2d 412, 415 (Iowa 2002). Thus, a child has a cause of action against a parent for damages based on negligence in the operation of a motor vehicle. Turner, 304 N.W.2d at 789. The issue we now face is whether the damages in such a claim by a child against a parent includes loss of parental consortium and support predicated on separate injuries to the parent. We recognize a child has a cause of action for loss of parental consortium and support for the death or injury of a parent by a third party. Audubon-Exira Ready Mix, Inc. v. Illinois Cent. Gulf R.R., 335 N.W.2d 148, 152 (Iowa 1983); see also Lang v. City of Des Moines, 294 N.W.2d 557, 563 (Iowa 1980) (loss of support). Thus, parental consortium and support is a recognized protected interest. Yet, such a claim is required to be brought by the injured parent or the administrator of the estate under Iowa Code section 613.15 (2001). Audubon-Exira Ready Mix, Inc., 335 N.W.2d at 152. There is no independent cause of action for parental consortium. Id. [2] In this case, Matthew seeks consortium and support as a part of the damages in the child's direct negligence claim against the estate of her mother. He seeks to extend the law of consortium and support to recognize an independent claim directly against the parent. In McIntosh v. Barr , we determined that a wife did not have a direct claim against the husband for loss of consortium due to an injury to the husband caused by the husband's own negligence. McIntosh v. Barr, 397 N.W.2d 516, 517 (Iowa 1986). We rejected such a claim on the basis that consortium was not a legally protected interest as against a spouse. Id. We observed the spouse had no legal obligation to provide consortium. Id. We think the same rationale applies to direct claims for consortium by children against a parent. See Plain v. Plain, 307 Minn. 399, 240 N.W.2d 330, 332 (1976). A parent has no legal duty to provide consortium to a child. Thus, the harm claimed to have been suffered by a child is not legally recognized. Of course, a parent does have a legal obligation to support a child, but that duty is independent of the duty of care applicable to an action for negligence. There is no authority to support a negligence action by a child for loss of support and consortium against parents who negligently caused injury or death to themselves.