Lawsuit Against Highfill Will Be Dismissed, His Lawyer Claims

Both parties have agreed to dismiss a lawsuit filed against House District 39 Republican candidate Jake Highfill, according to a report by the Des Moines Register, although the paperwork has not been filed to end the dispute.

On Thursday, the Register reported a  by Highfill's former University of Iowa roommate, Carson Kness, 23, will be dismissed. Kness claims in the lawsuit that on Oct. 15, 2009, Highfill brought a shotgun to a college party, argued with Kness during the event and smashed a glass bottle across the man's face, permanently disfiguring him.

Kness was seeking punitive damages in the lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to trail in January.

Highfill told the Des Moines Register an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice was reached on Oct. 11.

Neither Kness nor his lawyer, Steve Banks of Banks Law Firm LLC in Waukee, could be reached for comment by the Register.

According to court documents obtained by Johnston Patch on Thursday, the last filings in the case were made on Oct. 1. Those papers were for a defense witness, Duane Tolander with HDH Advisors.

Highfill's attorney, Sarah Franklin, told the Register paperwork to dismiss the lawsuit would be filed with the district court soon, but said she couldn't comment on the agreement.

Highfill told the Register he doesn't think public knowledge of the lawsuit would hurt his campaign against Grimes Democrat Kelsey Clark. Highfill said the allegations were false.

“It’s kind of ironic how that works – they come back with a claim, some statement four years later…right when I’m in a campaign,” Highfill said in the Register report. “Funny how that works, right?”

When Johnston Patch spoke to Steve Banks in June when news of the lawsuit broke, Banks said the lawsuit was filed before Highfill announced his candidacy for the House seat.

"In regards to my representation of Mr. Kness, (Highfill's) running for office has no bearing on what we are trying to accomplish," he said at the time.

In June, Highfill defeated incumbent Erik Helland in a close primary race.