A Delaware County son who sued his father has lost his case in the Iowa Court of Appeals. Patrick Wernimont was injured about three years ago on his dad’s farm. Patrick’s dad, William, was using a skid loader to move a large hay bale and the skid loader tipped forward so that the back wheels were off the ground. Patrick, the son, offered to help and during the process his feet were crushed. The son then sued his father, arguing his dad was negligent and was liable for the accident because he was his dad’s employee. A district court and now the Iowa Court of Appeals have ruled against the son because, the Justices said, the son was doing the father a favor and was not being paid wages for the work.
