Court Opinion

ID: 9857730
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 15:56:35.725538+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:44:27.789883
License: Public Domain

SCHULTZ, Justice
(dissenting).
I join the dissent of Larson, J.; however, I wish to add my own comments.
The backbone of the majority opinion is that Iowa Code section 123.92 (1989), provides the exclusive remedy against a licensee and permittee and preempts a common-law negligence action based on the illegal sale of intoxicants against a licensee or permittee. I believe this conclusion is wrong.
In an earlier case, we established the rule that Iowa Code section 123.92 (1979), provided the exclusive remedy against a permittee for the sale of liquor to an intoxicated person. Snyder v. Davenport, 323 N.W.2d 225, 226-27 (Iowa 1982). In Snyder, the plaintiff attempted a common-law action for the violation of a statute that prohibited the same conduct which gave rise to the remedy provided in the dram-shop statute. We held the statutory scheme which provided licensee liability eliminated a common-law action against the licensee. Id. at 227.
Unlike the statute in Snyder, Iowa Code section 123.92 (1989), provides no liability unless the permittee “serves” the alcoholic beverage. A class “C” licensee is only authorized to sell beer for off-premises consumption and cannot serve the beer. Iowa Code § 123.132 (1989). Consequently, current section 123.92 does not provide a remedy against a class “C” permittee for the conduct prohibited by this statute.
The majority opinion is wrong in applying a rule of exclusive remedy, or preemption of common-law actions against a class “C" permittee, if the statute has been amended to withdraw a statutory remedy against a permittee. The general rule is that repeal of a statute abrogating the common law revives the common law as it was before the statute. State v. Buck, 275 N.W.2d 194, 197 (Iowa 1979); 2B N. Singer, Sutherland Statutory Construction § 50.-01, at 90 (5th ed. 1992); 73 Am.Jur.2d Statutes § 384, at 505 (1974). I believe this rule is applicable here. The legislature’s amendment of section 123.92 adding a condition requiring that the permittee “served" the beer, 1986 Iowa Acts ch. 1211, § 12, effectively repeals the statute’s applicability to a class “C” permittee. I would apply the revival rule and allow a common-law negligence action against the class “C” permittee. See Lewis v. State, 256 N.W.2d 181, 191-92 (Iowa 1977).