Opinion ID: 1351755
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Claim for Emotional Distress.

Text: It is a general rule in this state, with recognized exceptions, that there can be no recovery for emotional distress absent intentional conduct by a defendant or some physical injury to the plaintiff. Mills v. Guthrie County Rural Elec. Coop. Ass'n, 454 N.W.2d 846, 852 (Iowa 1990). Although stated in the negative, this general rule reflects two affirmative principles. First, the rule implicitly recognizes emotional harm to be real and compensable. See Rice v. City of Council Bluffs, 124 Iowa 639, 642, 100 N.W. 506, 507 (1904). Second, emotional distress can be a proper element of damages in a tort action. Doe v. Cherwitz, 518 N.W.2d 362, 365 (Iowa 1994). It is a proper element of damages when there has been an invasion of some legally protected interest by way of willful and malicious conduct. See Niblo v. Parr Mfg., Inc., 445 N.W.2d 351, 354 (Iowa 1989) (emotional distress damages permitted when tort involves willful or unlawful conduct); Kraft v. City of Bettendorf, 359 N.W.2d 466, 471 (Iowa 1984) (false arrest); Blakeley v. Estate of Shortal, 236 Iowa 787, 791-93, 20 N.W.2d 28, 30-31 (1945) (act of suicide); Holdorf v. Holdorf, 185 Iowa 838, 842, 169 N.W. 737, 738-39 (1918) (willful assault). In such instances, emotional distress lies at the very core of the tort itself, and becomes an element of damages because it arises from the violation of the legally protected interest itself. Lawrence v. Grinde, 534 N.W.2d 414, 422 (Iowa 1995) (emotional distress damages that arise from conduct which invades a legally protected interest are recoverable when they are a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the conduct); Niblo, 445 N.W.2d at 355 (emotional distress lies at the core of the tort of wrongful discharge). Emotional distress can also be a proper element of damages when associated with physical injury. See Sourbier v. State, 498 N.W.2d 720, 723 (Iowa 1993) (damages for personal injuries include mental pain and suffering). Emotional distress damages are recoverable, along with other types of damages, once the personal injury tort is established. Dan B. Dobbs, The Law of Torts § 302, at 822 (2000). This type of emotional distress damage has been described as parasitic damages because it is derived from the personal injury. Id.; see Niblo, 445 N.W.2d at 355 (recovery for emotional distress as an additional or parasitic element of damages). Yet, like most other jurisdictions, we have refused to recognize an independent claim for emotional distress based on negligence without some physical harm. See Doe, 518 N.W.2d at 365 (citing Cutler v. Klass, Whicher & Mishne, 473 N.W.2d 178, 182-83 (Iowa 1991)) (Iowa does not recognize negligent infliction of emotional distress as a separate cause of action). In essence, we have deviated from this rule only under two theories of recovery. The first exception involves bystander liability based on the breach of a duty of care by the defendant not to cause emotional distress to those who witness conduct that causes serious harm to a close relative. Barnhill v. Davis, 300 N.W.2d 104, 108 (Iowa 1981). The elements of this tort are: 1. The bystander was located near the scene of the accident. 2. The emotional distress resulted from a direct emotional impact from the sensory and contemporaneous observance of the accident, as contrasted with learning of the accident from others after its occurrence. 3. The bystander and the victim were husband and wife or related within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity. 4. A reasonable person in the position of the bystander would believe, and the bystander did believe, that the direct victim of the accident would be seriously injured or killed. 5. The emotional distress to the bystander must be serious. Id. at 108. A second exception has been carved out for direct victims of emotional distress and exists when the nature of the relationship between the plaintiff and the defendant is such that it supports the imposition of a duty of care on the defendant to avoid causing emotional harm to the plaintiff. Oswald v. LeGrand, 453 N.W.2d 634, 639 (Iowa 1990); Niblo, 445 N.W.2d at 354. Under the tort theory of negligence, there is no general duty of care to avoid causing emotional harm to another. See Niblo, 445 N.W.2d at 354. However, where the parties assume a relationship that is contractual in nature and deals with services or acts that involve deep emotional responses in the event of a breach, we recognize a duty of care to protect against emotional distress. Lawrence, 534 N.W.2d at 421; Oswald, 453 N.W.2d at 639. Thus, we have recognized a cause of action to recover damages for negligently inflicted emotional distress based upon medical malpractice involving the treatment by a physician of a pregnant woman and her premature fetus. Oswald, 453 N.W.2d at 639. We have also recognized a cause of action to recover negligently inflicted emotional distress in the performance of a contract for funeral services. Meyer v. Nottger, 241 N.W.2d 911, 920 (Iowa 1976). Much earlier, even before we began to formulate our present rules for liability for emotional harm, we permitted recovery for emotional distress for negligent delivery of a telegram announcing the death of a close relative. Cowan v. W. Union Tel. Co., 122 Iowa 379, 386-87, 98 N.W. 281, 282-84 (1904); Mentzer v. W. Union Tel. Co., 93 Iowa 752, 768-69, 62 N.W. 1, 6 (1895). On the other hand, we have refused to recognize such a duty from an attorney-client relationship in a claim for attorney malpractice involving services performed in a bankruptcy case. Lawrence, 534 N.W.2d at 423. The acts performed by the lawyer were not so related to matters of mental concern that emotional distress would naturally result from negligent acts. Id. Since the time we first recognized this exception, our cases have recognized a duty only when there has been some contractual relationship between the parties. See Lawrence, 534 N.W.2d at 421; Millington v. Kuba, 532 N.W.2d 787, 793 (Iowa 1995). Matthew asserts he alleged an actionable claim on behalf of Sasha for her emotional distress under these governing principles for three reasons: (1) she sustained physical injury; (2) she was a bystander to her mother's death; and (3) the parent-child relationship. Thus, he claims her physical injuries brought her within the general rule permitting recovery for emotional distress, and her status as a bystander and her parent-child relationship brought her within the exceptions to the rule.