Iowa Supreme Court · No. 24-1563
State of Iowa v. Max Amyda
Decided October 9, 2026 · appeal from Woodbury County · Criminal
What the court decided
AI summary The defendant challenged his conviction for sexual abuse, arguing that a video of the incident should not have been allowed as evidence in court. The court affirmed the lower court's decision to admit the video, finding that the evidence was properly authenticated and the defendant's objections were not supported by facts. This means the conviction stands and the video remains part of the legal record.1
Result: Court of appeals decision and district court judgment affirmed
The court’s own summary
Max Amyda seeks further review of the court of appeals opinion affirming his conviction for third-degree sexual abuse. The court of appeals held the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting a video showing Amyda sexually abusing the victim (1) because the State’s circumstantial evidence was sufficient for authentication and (2) Amyda’s best evidence objection was bare conjecture.
Holding: The defendant seeks further review of a court of appeals decision affirming his conviction for sexual abuse and rejecting his arguments that admission of a video depicting the abuse violated Iowa Rules of Evidence 5.901 and 5.1002. Court of appeals decision and district court judgment affirmed.
Judges
- Written by Justice Edward M. Mansfield
- Trial judge: Steven J. Andreasen, Woodbury County
Iowa Code it cites
Each links to the bills that change that chapter.