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Davenport trustees hear city legal memo, keep notary services but seek clearer procedures
Summary
City legal counsel told Davenport Public Library trustees that a recent Iowa Supreme Court decision removes qualified immunity for negligence claims but does not eliminate notary services; trustees asked for clearer procedures and staff training after learning the library handled about 2,400 notarizations in FY '25.
Davenport — City legal counsel Sam Huff told the Davenport Public Library Board of Trustees on Dec. 16 that a recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling narrows the availability of qualified immunity for municipal employees but does not, in his assessment, eliminate routine public notary services. "The takeaway is, these cases really do not affect notary services," Huff said, while warning that qualified immunity will not be available as a defense for ordinary negligence claims.
Huff walked trustees through three hypotheticals to show the practical difference between an ordinary mistake and intentional misconduct. In one scenario, a notary who follows policy but misses an incomplete field on an affidavit…
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