Ida County Courier & the Reminder v. Attorney General

LeGRAND, Justice.

This appeal asks us to determine whether the hearing provided for in section 553.10, The Code 1979, is an evidentiary hearing with the right to cross-examine. The Ida Courier and The Reminder (The Courier) says it is. The attorney general takes the opposite view. The trial court held no such right existed. We reverse and remand with instructions. All statutory references are to the 1979 Code.

Chapter 553, known as the Iowa Competition Law, was first enacted in 1977. Its purpose is to prevent “restraint of economic activity and monopolistic practices.” Section 553.2. Violations…