Justia Iowa Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

Defendant Anouhak Keutla pled guilty to manufacturing a controlled substance. The district court granted Keutla a deferred judgment and placed her on supervised probation for two years. After a report of probation violations was filed, the district court revoked defendant's deferred judgment, entered an adjudication of guilt, imposed a five-year prison sentence, suspended the sentence, ordered probation, and imposed a fine. The court further ordered defendant to serve six months in jail for contempt. Defendant appealed, arguing that the district court did not have the authority both to revoke her deferred judgment and to find her in contempt. The court of appeals concluded that the district court exceeded its authority by both revoking defendant's deferred judgment and punishing her for contempt and remanded the case. The Supreme Court granted review. The Court agreed with the court of appeals, concluding that the entire sentence should be reversed and remanded to the district court for resentencing. View "State v. Keutla " on Justia Law

Appellant Randy Meyers was convicted of lascivious conduct with a minor and sex abuse in the third degree stemming from Meyer's sexual relationship with his seventeen-year-old stepdaughter, Mindy. Meyers appealed, contending there was insufficient evidence to support the conviction. Meyers supported his appeal by focusing on the absence of testimony by Mindy that the sex acts with Meyers were by force or against her will. Myers also asserted that Mindy's consent could not be negated without expert evidence that she suffered from a recognized mental defect, and claimed that expert testimony presented by the state that Mindy was psychologically unable to consent was insufficient to vitiate consent under the statute. The court of appeals affirmed. The Supreme Court also affirmed, holding (1) the district court did not err in finding sufficient evidence that the sex acts occurred, and (2) that all the circumstances taken together support a finding that the sex acts engaged in between Meyers and Mindy were by force or against the will of Mindy. View "State v. Meyers" on Justia Law