State v. Thoren
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The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction for sexually abusing a client during a Reiki treatment session, holding that the district court erred in allowing evidence about the investigation by the Iowa Board of Massage Therapy into allegations that Defendant had inappropriately touched other clients, and Defendant was entitled to a new trial.
On appeal, Defendant argued that the district court erred by introducing evidence about the Board's investigation that ultimately led to the loss of his massage license and by allowing testimony from his complaining former clients. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the district court properly admitted some evidence from Defendant's former massage clients about their experiences but improperly failed to identify which issues that were truly disputed, leading to the admission of more testimony from the former clients than was permissible. Because the errors were not harmless, the district court remanded the case for a new trial.
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