1. Except as provided in subsection 2, in an action to recover damages arising out of the operation or use of a motor vehicle, a person shall not recover noneconomic losses including, but not limited to, pain and suffering if the injured person was the operator of a motor vehicle, a passenger in a motor vehicle, or a pedestrian and the person’s injuries were proximately caused by the person’s commission of any felony, or immediate flight therefrom, and the injured person was duly convicted of that felony.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 613.20

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
 2. This section does not apply if the injured person is found to have no fault in the accident.
 3. If a person injured in a motor vehicle accident has been formally charged with the violation of the felony referred to in subsection 1, but a final determination regarding guilt has not been made, liability and uninsured and underinsured motorist insurers, to whom a claim for damages has been presented, shall advise the injured party that settlement of the claim will not be resolved until a final judgment is rendered on the charges. The injured party claiming damages shall provide evidence of the outcome of any criminal charges.