Employer Can't Enforce Terms of Settlement Reached Without Client's Consent

The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that an employer was not entitled to summary judgment enforcing the terms of a settlement it had negotiated with a worker’s attorney when the worker denied that the attorney had the authority to accept the proposed deal. Case: O’Reilly Auto Enterprises v. Badia, No. 21-1871, 12/21/2022, published. Facts and procedural history: Valarie Badia pursued two workers' compensation claims against her employer, O'Reilly Auto Enterprises. Attorney Nicholas Platt represented her in both matters. Platt negotiated a settlement with O’Reilly, but ...