The defendants of the FIJI trial requested that the court deny University of Iowa student Makéna Solberg’s request to keep the trial in Johnson County instead of moving it to Tama County, in court filings Thursday. 

Solberg and the trial’s defendants are disputing the location of the 2024 trial, which moved Aug. 30 from Johnson to Tama County. Solberg filed a request on Sept. 1, asking for reconsideration of the transfer.  

In Thursday’s filing, the defendants wrote Solberg’s argument to reverse the previous ruling does not have a basis for complaint or a reason to “disrupt the ruling.” The defendants also wrote that Solberg’s filing does not challenge the prejudice of the previous venue in Johnson County. 

The filing stated that if the court decides to withdraw its previous ruling and hold the trial in Johnson County, the defendants would be forced to try a case in a venue determined prejudicial by the court. 

Defendants wrote reversing the decision to move venues would not be “in the interests of justice.” 

Solberg’s filing argued that the defendants were not timely in their filing and therefore their request should be dismissed. 

The Solberg lawyers wrote that the defendants failed to file their motion opposing Solberg’s request within the allotted 10 days. It was filed two days late without justification or cause. Within the trial, this is the second motion filed by the defendants in which they did not meet requirements for timeliness. 

Defendants countered the timeliness arguments as invalid because the motion to transfer venues was filed before the order continued the trial. 

The trial remains set for November 2024 in Tama County.