Case dismissed against Sen. Adrian Dickey, Jefferson County Treasurer

FAIRFIELD – A civil suit filed against Iowa State Sen. Adrian Dickey and Jefferson County Treasurer Mark Myers has been dismissed.

The case involved a title dispute about a car that Dickey purchased for his daughter, Korynn Tjaden (Dickey) Husted, in July 2020, and which Dickey subsequently took out a lien on. The vehicle was later involved in a collision in May of 2023, and the petitioners in the case claimed the insurance company refused to pay the claim because of the lien. The petitioners, who included Korynn, her mother Shawna Husted and step-father Allan Husted, claimed Korynn did not consent to this lien. They also alleged that the Jefferson County Treasurer’s Office engaged in a civil conspiracy, since the treasurer accepted a certificate of title for the vehicle signed by Korynn, which they claimed was signed by Dickey. This charge of civil conspiracy was later dismissed in August 2023.

On Sept. 16, 2024, District Court Judge Daniel P. Wilson issued a ruling on the plaintiffs’ case against Dickey and Myers, and awarded Dickey a summary judgment that included the insurance settlement of $23,686.75. Wilson granted a summary judgment against Korynn for “Breach of Contract Counterclaim” and “Tortious Interference with Contract Counterclaim” against Shawna Husted and Allen Husted. Dickey was awarded $1 in his defamation counterclaim. Furthermore, the plaintiffs were assessed all court costs.

Two months earlier on July 18, the plaintiffs filed a voluntary dismissal of all claims in the case. Wilson noted in his opinion that this dismissal mooted some but not all of Dickey’s motion for summary judgment and sanctions. In early August, Dickey filed a motion to withdraw his request for punitive damages on the counterclaims made against the plaintiffs, and the plaintiffs also expressed their intention to withdraw their resistance to Dickey’s motion for sanctions.

JUDGE’S OPINION

In his opinion, Wilson recounts the facts of the case such as that it revolved around a Toyota Corolla that Dickey purchased for Korynn in 2020 near the time of her 18th birthday, when she announced her intentions to move to California and attend school.

“Her father was understandably concerned about the move and complications caused by the existing COVID-19 pandemic, and wanted to do something nice for her,” Wilson wrote. “So, Defendant approached Korynn about buying a car for her to drive.”

Wilson stated that all parties agreed that Dickey was the one who purchased the car on July 30, 2020, and for several years Korynn drove it, with no other person having contributed to the purchase of the car. In May of 2023, after Korynn had returned to Iowa, her stepfather Allen Husted was driving the car in Ottumwa and was involved in an accident in which the other drive missed a stop sign and collided with the Corolla, totaling it.

“In the insurance payment process that ensued, Plaintiffs took issue with Defendant’s lien reservation on the car’s title,” Wilson wrote.

Wilson wrote that a summary judgment is not normally awarded in a case involving a dispute over an oral contract, where one party disputes the oral agreement took place. However, he said this was unusual because Korynn conceded the oral contract existed during a deposition she gave, where she stated, “I agreed that, if Adrian bought me a car, I would pay for the insurance, registration, gas, and maintenance . . .”

The defense presented evidence of a conversation, over text or email, between Korynn, Adrian Dickey and Shawna Husted from July 30, 2020, where Dickey explains that the vehicle will be registered under her name, and that he will be the lienholder.

After highlighting this conversation, Wilson wrote in his judgment, “At the time, Korynn did not show any incomprehension as to what a ‘lienholder’ was and if she did not understand she could have asked, but didn’t. There is simply no evidence that Defendant defrauded or cheated his way into becoming a lienholder on the red Corolla’s title and if Korynn objected to that reservation, the time for her to speak was before the purchase and not in a lawsuit filed years later.”

The plaintiffs argued that Dickey should have explained to Korynn “what it meant for him to be a lienholder” and that his failure to do so constituted “fraud” and “undermined or obscured Korynn’s understanding” of the contract. Wilson did not agree with this interpretation.

“Plaintiffs offer no expert medical opinions to establish Korynn’s incapacity defense, and her mother’s declaration about Korynn’s ‘adulting struggles’ does not establish her daughter’s inability to understand,” he wrote.

Later in the judgment, Wilson explained why he was granting Dickey’s motion to impose default liability findings and judgments against the plaintiffs as a sanction for their misconduct in discovery, a process of disclosing facts before a trial. Wilson said the evidence showed a conscious decision by the plaintiffs to withhold pertinent information.

“Defendant’s motion cites a potpourri of misconduct by each Plaintiff, who all consciously chose to participate in discovery through the act of filing suit,” Wilson wrote. “In spite of this choice each Plaintiff has in varying degrees delayed and outright refused to provide discovery that furthers the truthseeking function of this Court. Plaintiff Korynn Dickey used her social media accounts to publicize information about Defendant that even her mother regarded as ‘misleading.’ But when requested to supply those posts and provide access to her social media accounts in discovery, which is understandably significant to Defendant establishing the scope and severity of her defamation, Korynn outright refused. The Court has ordered Korynn to comply but Korynn has instead chosen to deny access.”

Wilson wrote that the evidence against plaintiffs Shawna Husted and Allen Husted resulted in an identical conclusion. He wrote that there were multiple instances where the Husteds discussed “spoliating evidence,” which means destroying or altering, and delaying productions so Dickey would need to file motions and “spend more money.”

“The Court also notes the exchanges where the pair discuss bribing Korynn or instructing her on what she needs to remember, after Korynn has informed them that she doesn’t,” Wilson wrote. “Plaintiffs continued to withhold social media credentials that would permit Defendant’s inspection, as requested in discovery and ordered by the Court. They continued to withhold ordered car insurance and registration payment records, and have not explained why text message and email correspondence to the press about Defendant has not been produced.”

REACTIONS

When asked for a comment on the resolution of the case, Adrian Dickey submitted the following:

“The Court’s decision completes a long process to clear my name and show that the claims brought against me lacked merit. I am appreciative of a ruling that highlights the generosity of the car I purchased, the clear communications that Shawna, Korynn, and I had about it, and the lengths that some are willing to go to tarnish my reputation. The fact that some people believe that I am a target gives me greater conviction to continue fighting for the issues that I believe in.”

Regarding his part in the case, Mark Myers released the following statement:

“Unfortunately, arrogant incompetence and dishonesty created a colossal waste of time and energy. However, Attorney Skylar Limkemann and Jefferson Couty Attorney Chauncey Moulding worked hard to mitigate the damage created by the baseless claim. I’m glad this is over, I can put it behind me, and Mr. Moulding and I can now put that effort into the Jefferson County citizens.”

Shawna and Allen Husted submitted a longer response to the judgment in which they deny some of the recitation of facts in Wilson’s order, specifically the email indicating that Dickey would be the lienholder.

“When Korynn’s car was totaled, Adrian refused to agree to release the insurance proceeds so we could apply them to purchase a new car for Korynn,” the Husteds wrote. “We didn’t believe Adrian had any right to put the lien on the car in the first place, and we thought it would be a relatively straightforward matter to demand that he release the lien.

“But Adrian claimed that he sent Korynn an email and a letter in July 2020 containing his expectations for her if she accepted his gift of a car. Korynn did not receive either one. In discovery, we asked Adrian to produce the original electronic file of the email he claimed he sent, and he couldn’t produce it. Instead, he produced an email dated July 7, 2023, two days after the lawsuit was filed, that he claimed was the original ‘native’ file of the email. No one has ever seen the letter Adrian claims he sent Korynn—which, very strangely, he kept a copy of.

“He then filed a counterclaim against Korynn—his own biological daughter—for defamation, because she posted a few things on Instagram when she was a teenager and in her early twenties. After months of dealing with Adrian’s counterclaims, the case had become about everything but Adrian Dickey’s security interest in Korynn’s car, and Korynn was having a very hard time with it. So, we chose to dismiss our claims against Adrian and Jefferson County. We thought that would be the end of it.”

The Husteds wrote that, after they dismissed their claims, “the judge asked Adrian’s attorney to draft the order to wrap up the case. This is not stated in the Order that was filed. We objected to the order proposed by Adrian’s attorney, but the judge ended up adopting it word-for-word, even though most of what was in the order wasn’t even necessary to resolve the case. We had already agreed that Adrian should receive the insurance proceeds (the $23,686.75) and $1 for his ridiculous defamation claim. We did not believe it was necessary to write an order that made one side look good and the other side look bad.”

The Husteds ended their statement by saying they are “happy to put this case” behind them.

“We have more fulfilling things to focus on, including supporting Korynn and her new baby, and we are looking forward to a rewarding and happy future for our family,” they wrote.

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