Redfield v. Iowa State Highway Comm'n

The Iowa State Highway Commission (SHC) (defendant) condemned properties belonging to Redfield and other owners (plaintiffs) to build a highway, and at trial over adequate compensation, expert witnesses offered widely varying estimates of the properties' value; Redfield attempted to introduce recent sale prices of similar nearby properties, but the trial judge excluded this evidence under existing Iowa precedent limiting such evidence to cases lacking expert testimony. The owners considered the resulting damages award inadequate and appealed, challenging the exclusion of the comparable-sale evidence.