Supreme Court Grants General Contractor JNOV on Civil Claim by Subcontractor's Employee

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled that D.R. Horton was entitled to a judgment notwithstanding a jury verdict that found it liable for a trench accident that injured a subcontractor’s employee. The high court said Tim Kono did not identify any exceptions to the baseline rule that a general contractor doesn't owe a duty of care to the employees of a subcontractor. "Whether a duty exists is a threshold question of law in a negligence case; the defendant cannot be held liable without it," the court said. "Because the district court erred in concluding that D.R. Horton owed Ko...