The “sale-leaseback” concept is not a new one, but it is one that is being utilized more and more in today’s economic climate as the financial and tax benefits can be numerous for both parties. In its simplest form, a sale-leaseback is a transaction in which the owner of property sells the property and simultaneously leases it back from the purchaser.

Green v. Wilderness Ridge, LLC, a recent Iowa Court of Appeals case, involved a private condemnation action brought under Iowa Code Section 6A.4(2). Said code section provides for a private right of condemnation where property is not otherwise accessible by a public roadway, but requires the selection of the “nearest feasible route” in doing so.

In Gray v. City of Indianola (May 6, 2011), the Iowa Supreme Court examined the fairness of special assessments levied upon certain property owners. The district court had found that the property owners had been assessed in excess of the special benefits received from the project and reduced the assessments.

In Scenic Builders vs. Peiffer and Peiffer, the Iowa Court of Appeals recently was presented with the issue of whether contracts for the construction of personal residences are deemed “consumer merchandise” as contemplated under Iowa’s consumer fraud act.