Derek Wulf, the Republican candidate for Iowa lieutenant governor, is facing a damaging dispute with his own parents, who claim he owes them $275,000 in unpaid rent for farmland.
The unusual family conflict comes as Wulf confronts a string of financial and legal troubles. His elderly parents allege that he stopped paying rent on their agricultural property more than two years ago.
Duane Wulf, 83, and Jackie Wulf, 82, filed a court petition on Tuesday, October 20, claiming their son has failed to make the required payments since 2024.
The dispute involves more than the alleged unpaid rent. The couple are also contesting Wulf’s claims of ownership over livestock and farm equipment as they seek to protect their property in a separate case involving a bank pursuing millions of dollars in outstanding debt.
According to the filing, Wulf made “misrepresentations” about who owned certain assets in financial documents he allegedly provided to a lender.
The allegations add to the political pressure on Wulf, a state representative who is running for lieutenant governor alongside Republican gubernatorial nominee Zach Lahn.
Wulf’s campaign has strongly rejected the accusations, arguing that the family dispute is linked to concerns about his father’s health.
“Sadly, Derek’s father has experienced serious health and memory issues in recent years,” said Dan Capodilupo, a spokesman for the Lahn campaign.
Iowa lieutenant governor candidate Derek Wulf is facing a new family dispute after his elderly parents accused him of owing $275,000 in rent and challenged his claims to livestock and farm equipment
In a court filing Tuesday, Oct. 20, Duane and Jackie Wulf claimed their son owes roughly $275,000 in rent for farmland that has been unpaid since 2024. They filed the petition to protect their assets as a bank pursues foreclosure against their son over other unpaid debts
Wulf was facing three lawsuits over unpaid debts, along with a criminal investigation into whether collateral pledged for a loan had been illegally disposed of, when Zach Lahn, pictured, selected him as his running mate in June
“It’s painful for Derek to admit, but his father’s understanding of the situation is simply incorrect.”
The statement angered the family’s attorney, Matt Craft, who said his clients were “incredibly hurt by those categorically false statements concerning Duane’s health.”
The conflict centers on a longstanding farming agreement between Wulf and his parents.
Property records indicate that Wulf purchased his rural home in Hudson, Iowa, from his father for $129,000 in 2006. The family also reached an agreement for him to rent neighboring farmland, while his parents retained ownership of additional agricultural property nearby.
The latest petition says those rental payments have not been made since 2024. Wulf’s campaign, however, emphatically disputes the claim.
Capodilupo said Wulf has paid “three times the market rental value” under what he characterized as a “handshake rent-to-own agreement” with his father.
“Derek has honored that agreement to the letter, and has made every payment to date,” the spokesman said.
Craft offered a sharply different account, saying Wulf’s parents sent him a letter in July ending the lease agreement. The move could leave the candidate’s future farming operations uncertain.
Wulf’s parents are among a growing list of farmers, agricultural suppliers and lenders who have accused the Black Hawk County state representative and his company, Shallow Creek Land & Livestock, of failing to repay debts. Since 2023, eight plaintiffs have sued Wulf or his company
Since 2023, eight plaintiffs have sued Wulf or his companyWulf settled five of those lawsuits before Lahn picked him as his running mate after winning the Republican primary in June. He settled two more in July after an unidentified source loaned him $540,000 through a new Illinois limited liability company weeks after he joined Lahn’s ticket
‘Duane and Jackie are unsure what land Derek expects to farm going forward,’ he told the Des Moines Register. ‘He will not be farming any of the family land.’
The family feud is the latest explosive development in a financial saga that has dogged Wulf since before his political ascent.
Since 2023, eight plaintiffs have sued Wulf or his company, Shallow Creek Land & Livestock, over alleged unpaid debts. The claimants include farmers, agricultural suppliers and lenders.
Wulf settled five lawsuits before Lahn selected him as his running mate after winning the Republican primary in June.
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Two more cases were settled in July, following a mysterious $540,000 loan provided by an unidentified source through a newly formed Illinois limited liability company.
The identity of the lender has remained a question in the wider financial controversy and one major legal battle is still raging.
WCF Financial Bank sued Wulf in May, alleging he had fallen more than a year behind on repayments on lines of credit. Court filings indicate the debt had reached approximately $3.8 million, while the bank valued his assets at around $2.9 million.
In September, a judge ordered a receiver to take control of Wulf’s home and farm.
According to their recent petition, filed in connection with WCF’s case against Wulf, the politician is more than two years behind on rent payments for farmland that Duane and Jackie own
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The bank dispute has also triggered a criminal investigation by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, which began investigating earlier this year after bank officials raised concerns about how Wulf allegedly disposed of livestock in which the lender held a security interest.
The investigation does not establish criminal wrongdoing.
Lahn’s campaign previously said the gubernatorial nominee did not know about the investigation when he chose Wulf as his running mate on June 12.
Lahn has since questioned the credibility of the inquiry led by Democratic Sheriff Nathan Neff and now, Wulf’s own parents have joined the fight.
They filed a lien against their son in August and have now asked the court to protect their financial interests in the bank’s case.
The couple acknowledge that the bank has priority over their son’s assets, but argue they should receive any surplus money left after the lender’s claims are satisfied and the property is sold.
The stakes are personal as well as financial. Duane and Jackie took out mortgages totaling approximately $1.8 million against some of their farmland in November 2021 and are still repaying the debt.
The bitter wrangle has even descended into a dispute over cows.
A court-appointed receiver reported that Duane challenged his son’s claim to two Hereford cows found near Derek’s home.
The father produced copies of two canceled checks showing he had paid his son $10,000 for the animals. Derek disputed the claim and argued the cows belonged to his daughter, according to the receiver’s report.
In their latest filing, his parents also claim partial ownership of other cattle, including calves they say have gone missing.
They further allege they own a 50 per cent stake in farming equipment listed on their son’s balance sheet, including a skid loader, spreader, mower, two augers and two tanks.
Their lawyer suggested the confusion arose from alleged misrepresentations in financial documents submitted to a bank.
Despite the mounting legal drama, Wulf’s camp insists the financial storm is close to breaking.
Capodilupo said Wednesday that ‘all creditors have been paid’ and claimed refinancing efforts were ‘nearing completion.’
‘Derek expects to retain his property and assets and continue operating his farm as normal,’ he added.
But with a multimillion-dollar bank dispute still in play, questions over livestock ownership and his own parents now claiming hundreds of thousands of dollars, Wulf faces an increasingly uncomfortable fight to contain the fallout.
Our News Outlet has reached out to Derek Wulf for comment.
