1. An action for recovery of merchandise or the purchase price, damages, and costs may be brought by an owner pursuant to this chapter in any court of competent jurisdiction, including a court of small claims if the claim does not exceed jurisdictional limits.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 645.2

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Merchandise: includes any object, ware, good, commodity, or other similar item displayed or offered for sale. See Iowa Code 645.1
  • Owner: means an owner of a mercantile establishment and includes a designated representative of the owner. See Iowa Code 645.1
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
 2. A conviction under chapter 714 is not required as a condition precedent to the maintenance of an action pursuant to this chapter.