Section 669.5. When suit permitted — employees of the state.

  1.  A suit shall not be permitted for a claim under this chapter unless the attorney general has made final disposition of the claim. However, if the attorney general does not make final disposition of a claim within six months after the claim is made in writing to the director of the department of management, the claimant may, by notice in writing, withdraw the claim from consideration and begin suit under this chapter. Disposition of or offer to settle any claim made under this chapter shall not be competent evidence of liability or amount of damages in any suit under this chapter.

  2.  a.  Upon certification by the attorney general that a defendant in a suit was an employee of the state acting within the scope of the employee’s office or employment at the time of the incident upon which the claim is based, the suit commenced upon the claim shall be deemed to be an action against the state under the provisions of this chapter, and if the state is not already a defendant, the state shall be substituted as the defendant in place of the employee.

  b.  If the attorney general refuses to certify that a defendant was acting within the scope of the defendant’s office or employment as described in paragraph “a” at the time of the incident out of which the claim arose, the defendant may petition the court, with notice to the attorney general, for the court to find and certify that the defendant was an employee of the state and was acting within the scope of the defendant’s office or employment. The defendant must file the petition within ninety days of the date the attorney general serves notice of the attorney general’s refusal to provide certification as provided in paragraph “a”. If the court issues the finding and certification, the suit shall be deemed to be brought against the state and subject to the provisions of this chapter and the state shall be substituted as the defendant party unless the state is already a defendant. If the court denies the petition for certification, the order shall not be a final order and is not subject to interlocutory appeal by the defendant.

[C66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §25A.5]

C93, §669.5

2006 Acts, ch 1185, §107