Senator Dickey Sued for Allegedly Forging Daughter’s Signature

PACKWOOD – State Senator Adrian Dickey is currently being sued by his daughter, Korynn Dickey, for allegedly forging her signature. According to Korynn's petition, her father bought a vehicle for her in July 2020, when she was attending school in California. Adrian paid for the car in full. According to Korynn, this was a "no strings attached" gift. The vehicle was titled in Korynn’s name.

In Aug. 2020, Adrian filed an Iowa Department of Transportation Application for Notation of Security Interest, or as it is more commonly known, a Lien Application. Iowa required this Lien Applications feature the signature of the vehicle's owner, Korynn. Adrian Dickey instead printed his daughter's name on the application.

According to Korynn, this was without her knowledge or consent. Korynn also states that she was not indebted to her father and would not have consented to him paying for the vehicle if she had known he would place a lien on it. Korynn also alleges her father filled out a Title Application and a Damage Disclosure Statement on the car, both without her knowledge, both with forged signatures.

From 2020 to 2023, all registration and insurance costs for the vehicle were paid by Korynn's mother, Shawna Husted. On May 15 of this year, Korynn's vehicle was totaled in an accident. Shawna and Allen Husted, her husband and Korynn’s adoptive father, purchased a new vehicle for Korynn two days later, under the assumption that she would reimburse them with the money from the insurance settlement. However, when Korynn submitted an insurance claim, she learned that her father had placed a lien on her car. Because of this lien, the insurance money was paid to Adrian. Shawna and Allen Husted are also plaintiffs in this case and are requesting the Senator pay them the insurance money, as well as damages and legal fees.

Korynn and the Husteds' lawsuit accuses Adrian Dickey of four counts: Failure to Perfect Security Interest; Fraud; Civil Conspiracy; and Unjust Enrichment. In his Answer and Affirmative Defense to the lawsuit, Senator Dickey denies these accusations. He acknowledges that he signed the Lien Application, but claims that Korynn gave him permission to sign her name. The senator denies signing the Damage Disclosure Statement or Title Application.

Adrian Dickey’s district contains the counties of Keokuk, Jefferson, and Van Buren, as well as parts of Mahaska and Henry. “This lawsuit affects not a single constituent that I represent. Including my daughter, or my ex-wife, who live outside of SD44,” Dickey wrote in a statement to the News-Review. “I am NOT guilty of a thing. I am a loving father, who 3 years ago bought my daughter a safe and dependable vehicle for her to drive, while she was going to college in California. Documents will show that conversations took place between Korynn and I where she consented to me placing myself as a lien holder and that I would have to do the paperwork because she was going to school in California.”

“Documents will also show that she clearly understood a reason I was going to make myself a lien holder was to prevent her from selling the car for quick cash or trading it in on a vehicle that she could not afford. After all, I paid for the entire car, no one else has ever paid a dime for it. The car was involved in an accident and was totaled. Unfortunately the plaintiffs choose [sic] to go spend $40,000 that they didn't have to buy a new car they couldn't afford, before they bothered to reach out to the person who had the title and was the lien holder of the vehicle.”

“I always have, and I always will love my daughter, no matter how many harmful or hurtful things she says or does. At some point this young lady has to realize that there are consequences in life with decisions that are made and with words that are said. That is something that I have tried to instill in her her entire life, however, as you have seen with the other plaintiffs that were in this lawsuit, I’ve been doing this on my own for 20 years, and it is very difficult.”

Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit is Jefferson County Treasurer Mark Myers. Myers is accused of facilitating criminal conduct by knowingly accepting forged documents. The News-Review reached out to Myers, who stated that his office has no way of knowing if signatures are forged, does not have the legal duty or ability to investigate the validity of signatures, and that there is no preexisting relationship between him and the Senator.

This is not the first time Senator Dickey’s contentious relationship with his daughter has made headlines. In 2022, a TikTok by Korynn went viral, in which she states that she is cutting off her relationship with her father over his policies on abortion and LGBT rights. The video shows Korynn holding a rainbow pillow, with a caption that reads: “I had to cut my dad off. See, I’m a bisexual Pisces and he is a Republican state senator who contributed to taking my rights as a woman away and the possibility of me being able to marry the girl of my dreams one day.”

The video has received more that 400,000 views, 180,000 likes, and 1826 comments. In replies in the comment section, Korynn describes her father's policies as “in humane” [sic] and states that she no longer claims him as a parent. Korynn's TikTok account currently lists her last name as Husted, rather than Dickey.

Korynn and the Husteds have requested a jury trial. A hearing will be held Aug. 28 to consider Adrian Dickey's motion to dismiss the case and Jefferson County's motion to dismiss Myers as a defendant. Senator Dickey is also currently facing legal troubles stemming from him allegedly blocking a road during RAGBRAI. According to the arresting officer, he told Dickey that he needed to move or otherwise would be taken to jail; Dickey argued with the officer, telling him to arrest him, and was subsequently arrested.