Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 622.22 (2026)

Understanding of parties to agreement

✓ current as of July 2026
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When the terms of an agreement have been intended in a different sense by the parties to it, that sense is to prevail against either party in which a party had reason to suppose the other understood it. [C51, §2401; R60, §3994; C73, §3652; C97, §4617; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §11275; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §622.22]\n\nTue Dec 09 21:59:22 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Chapter 622 (63, 3) §622.23, EVIDENCE 8

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 21 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1952–2021 · leading case: M-Z Entersprises, Inc. v. Hawkeye-Sec. Ins. Co., 318 N.W.2d 408 (Iowa 1982).
M-Z Entersprises, Inc. v. Hawkeye-Sec. Ins. Co., 318 N.W.2d 408 (Iowa 1982). · cites it 9× “Defendant claims trial court erred because it refused to instruct the jury on section 622.22, The Code. Section 622.22 states: When the terms of an agreement have been intended in a different sense by the parties to it, that sense is to prevail against either party in which he…”
Matherly v. Hanson, 359 N.W.2d 450 (Iowa 1984). · cites it 4× “The foregoing rule of interpretation is in accord with that which is provided by statute in Iowa Code section 622.22 (1983). The significance of the foregoing rules of substantive law in determining a proper resolution in the present case is that such rules demonstrate that the…”
Wolfe v. Graether, 389 N.W.2d 643 (Iowa 1986). · cites it 2× “2d at 412 ; Iowa Code § 622.22 (1983); 3A A. Corbin, Contracts § 684, at 224 (1960).”
Fashion Fabrics of Iowa, Inc. v. Retail Investors Corp., 266 N.W.2d 22 (Iowa 1978). “§ 622.22, The Code (“When the terms of an agreement have been intended in a different sense by the parties to it, that sense is to prevail against either party in which he had reason to suppose the other understood it.”
Cannon v. Nat'l By-Prods., Inc., 422 N.W.2d 638 (Iowa 1988). · cites it 2× “See Iowa Code § 622.22 (1985). The issue of how these written personnel policies were perceived by plaintiff was, on the present record, an issue to be determined by the trier-of-fact.”
Miller v. Geerlings, 128 N.W.2d 207 (Iowa 1964). · cites it 4× “Section 622.22, Code of Iowa, I.C.A. provides: "Understanding of parties to agreement.”
Carter v. Certain-Teed Prods. Corp., 102 F. Supp. 280 (N.D. Iowa 1952). · cites it 4× “Section 622.22, Code of Iowa, 1950, I.C.A.”
Wellman Sav. Bank v. Adams, 454 N.W.2d 852 (Iowa 1990). · cites it 2× “For the same reason, Iowa Code section 622.22 (1987) is inapplicable. That section allows the use of extrinsic evidence to prove the intent of the parties to a contract only where the contract terms are ambiguous.”
Mills v. Iowa, 895 F. Supp. 2d 944 (S.D. Iowa 2012). · cites it 4× “Mills’ claim that his “expectation and intent that he have a five-year term of employment should prevail because the State had ‘reason to suppose’ that Mills understood his employment contract to have a five-year term” is also without merit.”
City of Des Moines v. City of West Des Moines, 56 N.W.2d 904 (Iowa 1953). · cites it 2× “695-698, Contracts, section 296, states: “The intention of the parties is to be deduced from the language employed by them * * * and the rule making the terms of the contract conclusive where unambiguous is controlling in the absence of averment and proof of mistake * * So in…”
Curran Hydraulic Corp. v. Nat'l-Ben Franklin Ins. Co. of Illinois, 261 N.W.2d 822 (Iowa 1978). “As a result, when plaintiff received the binder letter which purported to respond to its request for insurance and *826 did not disclose an intention to insure the property at a different location, the jury could find plaintiff was justified in believing the binder covered the…”
Kartheiser v. Am. Nat'l Can Co., 84 F. Supp. 2d 1008 (S.D. Iowa 1999). · cites it 2× “See Iowa Code § 622.22 ; Cannon, 422 N.W.2d at 640 .”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.