Court Opinion

ID: 9860463
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 23:22:41.304348+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:15:39.467192
License: Public Domain

LeGRAND, Justice
(dissenting).
I. I dissent from the court’s opinion for all the reasons stated in my dissent in Shook v. Crabb, 281 N.W.2d 616, 620 (Iowa 1979).
II. However, there are additional reasons why an unemancipated minor should not be permitted to sue a parent for ordinary negligence.
Both Shook and the present case involve family ties; but there the similarity ends. The parent-child relationship is more close, personal, lasting, and emotional than any other. It involves elements of love, affection, trust, confidence, dependence, discipline, supervision, and control which must be exercised daily by parents from birth to maturity in nurturing, sustaining, and educating the child. The duties are demanding and burdensome; they are also rewarding. In overruling Barlow v. Iblings, 261 Iowa 713, 156 N.W.2d 105 (1968) today, the court virtually destroys this cherished cornerstone of our society.
The court recognizes abrogation of the immunity rule is no “panacea” but dismisses this by saying the price for family harmony “is too high.” On the contrary, I believe the price for discarding the doctrine is one which society cannot, and should not, bear. See Streenz v. Streenz, 106 Ariz. 86, 471 P.2d 282 (1970) (McFarland, J., dissenting).
Just as distressing as the result are the reasons given to justify it. Courts rushing to rescind this rule — which virtually all courts had recognized for almost 100 years — usually have done so on several untenable grounds. They say it does not affect family unity or harmony; they discount the danger of fraud and collusion.
Some have abolished it only to the extent of insurance coverage, as though what is inherently wrong is thus made right. Williams v. Williams, 369 A.2d 669, 672 (Del.1976); Sorensen v. Sorensen, 369 Mass. 350, 339 N.E.2d 907, 908-09 (1975). Others retain the rule only in situations involving parental “supervision and control,” raising the interesting question as to where the supervisory duty of parents starts and stops.
The majority today reserves the “supervision and control” case for the future, limiting its ruling to the automobile case at hand. Such foot-in-the-door decisions have a history of development and expansion just as quickly as cases involving other “exceptions” come along. See Nocktonick v. Nocktonick, 227 Kan. 758, 611 P.2d 135, 143 (Schroeder, C. J., dissenting). I predict that fate for this court, too. We cannot even stop there, of course, for we must then allow, too, suits by parents against minor children. See Schenk v. Schenk, 100 Ill.App.2d 199, 241 N.E.2d 12 (1968).
The majority points to a box score of states in favor of rescinding the rule. We have not always been so responsive to such a head count. See Handeland v. Brown, 216 N.W.2d 574, 577 (Iowa 1974). (“We have no obligation to adopt a rule just because it has been generally adopted elsewhere”.) We should not be influenced by the unfortunate results from other states in this instance. We should, instead, stay with the states which have retained parental immunity. They include: Owens v. Auto Mut. Indemnity Co., 235 Ala. 9, 177 So. 133 (1937); Thomas v. Inmon, 594 S.W.2d 853 (Ark.1980); Hansen v. Hansen, 608 P.2d 365 (Colo.App.1980); Horton v. Unigard Ins. Co., 355 So.2d 154 (Fla.App.1978); Wisen-*790baker v. Zeigler, 140 Ga.App. 90, 230 S.E.2d 97 (1976); Pedigo v. Rowley, 101 Idaho 201, 610 P.2d 560 (1980); Illinois Nat’l Bank & Trust Co. v. Turner, 83 Ill.App.3d 234, 38 Ill.Dec. 652, 403 N.E.2d 1256 (1980); Gerrity v. Beatty, 71 Ill.2d 47, 15 Ill.Dec. 639, 373 N.E.2d 1323 (1978); Hunter v. State, 360 N.E.2d 588 (Ind.App.1977); Shell Oil Co. v. Ryckman, 43 Md.App. 1, 403 A.2d 379 (1979); McNeal v. Estate of McNeal, 254 So.2d 521 (Miss.1971); Pullen v. Novak, 169 Neb. 211, 99 N.W.2d 16 (1959); Nahas v. Noble, 77 N.M. 139, 420 P.2d 127 (1966); Teramano v. Teramano, 6 Ohio St.2d 117, 216 N.E.2d 375 (1966); Chaffin v. Chaffin, 239 Or. 374, 397 P.2d 771 (1964); Castellucci v. Castellucci, 96 R.I. 34, 188 A.2d 467 (1963); Campbell v. Gruttemeyer, 222 Tenn. 133, 432 S.W.2d 894 (1968); Oldman v. Bartshe, 480 P.2d 99 (Wyo.1971).
In Iblings, 261 Iowa at 718, 156 N.W.2d at 107-08, we justified upholding the immunity concept by considerations of “domestic tranquility, parental discipline and control, family unity, and social responsibility.” Those considerations remain stronger, not weaker, in today’s troubled society. At a time when family solidarity is crumbling and when lack of family control is a matter of concern and alarm, courts should be alert to preserve, not further enfeeble, what is left of this basic unit of societal strength.
I cannot resist referring briefly to the inconsistency between this opinion and Fundermann v. Mickelson, Iowa, 304 N.W.2d 790, both filed today. It is the same conflict discussed in Chief Justice Reynoldson’s dissent in the Fundermann case.
In attempting to refute the claim that litigation between parent and child opens the door to fraud and collusion, the majority relies on Shook v. Crabb, 281 N.W.2d 616, 620 (Iowa 1979), which assures us we can confidently rely on juries to search out and separate fraudulent claims from legitimate ones. Similar statements concerning the ability of juries to always arrive at the truth are found in Barnhill v. Davis, 300 N.W.2d 104, 106 (Iowa 1981), and Bearbower v. Merry, 266 N.W.2d 128, 134 (Iowa 1978). However, the court summarily rejects this same concept in Fundermann, filed today, where we rail about the “impossibility of juries sorting out contested facts” and say it is “illogical to pretend juries can dispassionately resolve factual disputes” in alienation of affection suits. What makes this metamorphosis even more strange and inexplicable is that we attribute verity to the jury in non-adversarial contests and deny it in truly adversarial trials. See dissent in Shook, 281 N.W.2d at 621-22.
Barlow v. Iblings should still represent the public policy of this state. We have recently fallen back on public policy to bar a suit by a patient against her doctor. Cole v. Taylor, 301 N.W.2d 766 (Iowa 1981) and to dismiss an action for alienation of affections. Fundermann v. Mickelson, filed today. It is strange that in the area of parent-child relationship — more important to the commonweal than either of these — we abandon a long-established public policy which has traditionally protected the family from the specter of intra family litigation.
ALLBEE and McGIVERIN, JJ., join division II of this dissent.