Iowa's Uniform Trade Secrets Act

A seldom used, but fairly powerful Iowa law, is Iowa's Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Iowa Code Chapter 550. A trade secrets claim can arise under any circumstances. Common situations for a trade secrets claim are business relationships and employment relationships.

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Harley Erbe
Nursing Home Liability For Wandering Or Eloping Patients

Wandering and eloping patients are a significant problem for nursing homes. A wandering patient is someone who's moving aimlessly throughout the nursing home facility. Elopement, which is much more dangerous then wandering within the facility, encompasses situations when a resident leaves the facility unsupervised.

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Harley Erbe
Holding Employers To Their FMLA Promises -- The Theory Of "Estoppel" Under The Family And Medical Leave Act

Employers occasionally grant FMLA leave by mistake when they had no legal obligation to do so. Then they discipline or fire the employee for missing too much work without FMLA protection, even though the employer initially told the employee that FMLA time was available. That's not fair to the employee, who thought that work could be missed without repercussions based upon the employer's FMLA representations. Is there anything the employee can do about that? 

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Harley Erbe
The Overtime Exemption For "Partsmen" At Automobile Dealerships

Certain employees of automobile dealerships, including parts department employees, may be exempt from overtime law under the "automobile dealership exemption." That portion of the federal overtime law exempts “any salesman, partsman, or mechanic primarily engaged in selling or servicing automobiles, trucks, or farm implements, if he is employed by a nonmanufacturing establishment primarily engaged in the business of selling such vehicles or implements to ultimate purchasers.” Let's focus just on the "partsman" exemption.

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Harley Erbe
Nursing Home Residents And The Danger Of Burns

When people think about personal injury or wrongful death claims regarding nursing homes, falls, malnutrition, medication errors, choking, and abuse by staff and other residents come to mind. But burns are also a significant issue for nursing home residents. A nursing home facility's duty to protect its residents includes an obligation to prevent injuries or death caused by burning.

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Harley Erbe