Iowa Supreme Court clears an attorney for Meskwaki Tribe

Tuesday, December 13, 2011  

The Iowa Supreme Court dismissed a complaint against an attorney for the Meskwaki Tribe.

The Grievance Commission of the Supreme Court of Iowa recommended that Steven Olson be barred from practicing law in the state for 30 days. But the Supreme Court said he had nothing to do with the incident that led the complaint.

At issue was a meeting that Olson set up between the tribe and DNA Today. The tribe loaned $1 million to the now-defunct company, which produced software to keep track of tribal membership information.

Olson didn't attend the meeting, during which his law partner Jeffrey Rasmussen took possession of a computer that contained a version of the source code for the software. The company had put up the code as collateral for the loan.

DNA Today defaulted on the loan, the Supreme Court noted, so the tribe was entitled to collect on its debt. "Self-help is to some extent a rough and tumble world," the decision stated.

Get the Story:
Complaint against tribal attorney dismissed (The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier 12/13)

Iowa Supreme Court Decision:
Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board v. Olson (December 9, 2011)