Tina Lee v. State of Iowa, Polk County Clerk of Court

CADY, Chief Justice.

In this employment case, we must primarily decide whether the State of Iowa is immune from claims under the self-care provision of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in state court. The district court denied the State’s posttrial motions for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict or a new trial asserting Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity after a jury awarded damages to a state employee based on a claim for violating the Act. The Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed. On further review, we vacate the decision of the court of appeals, reverse the judgment of the district…