A parent, or the parents, may sue for the expense and actual loss of services, companionship and society resulting from injury to or death of a minor child.
Rule 1.206.Injury or death of a minor
Division II: Actions, Joinder of Actions and Parties · Last amended February 15, 2002 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceRule 1.206 lets a parent, or both parents together, sue for the expense and actual loss of services, companionship, and society that result from an injury to, or the death of, a minor child.
Full Text of Rule 1.206
Plain-English Summary
When a child is hurt or dies from another's wrongdoing, the child's own claim is not the only one the law recognizes. Rule 1.206 gives the parent, or both parents, a right to sue in their own name for their own losses flowing from that injury or death. The rule names two heads of recoverable loss: the expense incurred because of the injury or death, and the actual loss of the child's services, companionship, and society.
This is a parent's claim, distinct from any claim the child or the child's estate might pursue for the child's own injuries. Rule 1.206 does not require both parents to sue together — it allows either parent, or both, to bring the action — which gives families flexibility depending on their circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a parent sue for their own losses when a child is injured, separate from the child's own claim?
Yes. Rule 1.206 allows a parent, or both parents, to sue for the expense and actual loss of services, companionship, and society resulting from the injury or death of a minor child, which is a distinct claim from the child's own recovery.
What kinds of losses can a parent recover under this rule?
Rule 1.206 identifies expense and the actual loss of services, companionship, and society resulting from the child's injury or death as the recoverable categories.
Do both parents have to join the lawsuit together?
No. Rule 1.206 says a parent, or the parents, may sue, so either parent alone or both together may bring the action.
Does this rule apply only when the child dies, or also for a nonfatal injury?
It covers both. Rule 1.206 refers to loss resulting from injury to or death of a minor child, so a parent can sue over a serious but nonfatal injury as well as a fatal one.
Is this the same claim the child would bring for their own injuries?
No. Rule 1.206 creates a claim belonging to the parent for the parent's own losses, separate from any claim the minor child or the child's estate has for the child's own injuries.
Source & verification. Rule text and the Comment are
reproduced verbatim from the Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the
Iowa Supreme Court. Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: iowa parent lawsuit for injured childloss of consortium minor child iowaparent recovery for child's death iowaparent sue for child's injury iowa