Jones back in Council Bluffs court to defend transfer of assets before civil judgments

The bench trial lawsuit filed against a former Council Bluffs doctor accused of shifting funds to avoid paying compensation to his victims is set for Tuesday, March 21.

The suit, filed by Council Bluffs attorney Randy Shanks on behalf of 16 plaintiffs, alleges Dennis Jones transferred assets worth more than $1 million to an account in the name of his wife, Marianne, after his arrest in 2013 on sexual abuse and child pornography charges.

The first alleged transfer occurred in June 2013. In February 2015, Dennis Jones allegedly transferred real estate holdings worth $400,000 to his wife.

The suit names both Dennis and Marianne Jones and calls the transfers "fraudulent," claiming Dennis Jones transferred the assets to avoid paying damages to his victims.

During an investigation into sexual abuse charges against Dennis Jones, authorities found a cache of child pornography on the then-doctor's computer, including videos of patients taken secretly during appointments at Methodist Physicians Clinic in Council Bluffs.

A litany of civil suits have been filed against Dennis Jones and Physicians Clinic for damages inflicted upon those patients.

In an affidavit filed by Dennis Jones on March 6, he said he has primarily been responsible for handling finances between he and his wife. He maintained his innocence.

"My wife and I feared that in the event I was convicted, she would need to know more about our finances and be able to handle them," Dennis Jones said. "In order to simplify things and establish a credit history in her name and to reassure her, transfers of funds were conducted."

Jones goes on to say the thought of civil lawsuits never entered their thoughts when the financial transactions took place. The transfers were done to relieve worry and to provide security for his wife, he said.

After his conviction, the Jones' were notified by their carrier that their house would no longer be insured because of his felony conviction, he said. It was necessary, according to Dennis Jones, to transfer the property to his wife so she could obtain homeowner's insurance.

"Neither my wife nor I had given any thought to being sued civilly by anyone until the lawsuit was filed," he said.

In April 2016, a jury awarded a Council Bluffs family $325,000 in the first case to go to trial. A jury found Dennis Jones culpable but did not order the clinic to pay damages.

Shanks said the suit will ask a jury to essentially make those transferred assets available to victims as the civil trials progress.

The suit also asks for punitive damages in "an amount that will punish the defendants and discourage them and others from acting in a similar manner."

The plaintiffs in the first civil suit, who were awarded $325,000, are also part of the new suit.

Iowa online court records show Jones has filed a number of motions, including asking for a new trial.