Iowa Litigation Legal Questions

A subpoena means you have to appear.  If you don't, you will likely be held in contempt of court and can be arrested or put in jail for contempt.  I recommend you sit down with your employer immediately and show them the subpoena.  It is likely in your best interest to have the school find a replacement for the trip and for you to appear in court pursuant to the subpoena.  Best of luck. NOTE:  This response is general in nature and should not be considered legal advice.  No attorney-client relationship exists or is formed by this response. ... Read More

If there was a life insurance policy, chances are that your grandparents were its only beneficiaries (if you were named as a beneficiary, the insurance company would not disburse the money to your grandparents without contacting your mother - unless, of course, one of your grandparents was your duly appointed guardian). Unlike most other assets, proceeds of a life insurance policy are not subject to distribution under the inheritance laws: the money goes to the beneficiary named in the policy, even if the beneficiary is not a relative of the insured; and that person has neither legal nor moral obligations to share any part of the payout with the insured's heirs. After all, this is what the insured wanted: if he wanted his heir to receive any part of the payout, it was easy to achieve by an appropriate designation on the policy.... Read More

Usually, 20 or 30 name change cases will all be scheduled for the same time, and the clerk will probably make an announcement about how they will handle things. Pay attention to what the clerk says, of course. Then the clerk or judge will call each case one by one. When you are called, go up and stand before the judge as everyone else before you has done and greet him or her: "Good morning / afternoon, your honor. I'm [state your name]." The judge may ask you a couple of questions, so just answer them truthfully. You can imagine that the judge might want to know why you want to change your name, or why you chose your new name, or what not. He or she might have some advice, or words of wisdom, or maybe something humorous to say. Then, unless there is something very strange about your application, the judge will grant your petition and wish you good luck. You probably will be offered an opportunity to get a certified copy of the order changing your name, and you should get one or two to use. So be prepared by taking your checkbook with you. Hope this helps.... Read More