Iowa Supreme Court orders new trial for Ankeny doctor convicted of sexual abuse
- Dignity 4Patients
- Dec 23, 2025
- 2 min read
By Iowa News Now- 23/12/2025- [Iowa, USA]- [Lynn Melvin Lindaman]
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a former Ankeny pediatric orthopedic surgeon convicted of second-degree sexual abuse involving his young granddaughter, ruling that his constitutional rights were violated during the original proceedings.
In a decision filed Tuesday, the court vacated the conviction of Lynn Melvin Lindaman and sent the case back to Polk County District Court. Justices found that allowing the child to testify via one-way closed-circuit television violated Lindaman’s right under the Iowa Constitution to confront witnesses face to face.
Lindaman was convicted in February 2024 and sentenced to 50 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 42 1/2 years. According to court records, he remains in custody.
While ordering a new trial, the Supreme Court emphasized that the evidence presented at trial was legally sufficient to support the jury’s guilty verdict. The justices said they would not “second-guess the jury’s credibility determination” regarding the child’s testimony.
The ruling relies heavily on the court’s 2024 decision in State v. White, which held that one-way video testimony by a witness violates Iowa’s confrontation clause. The court declined the state’s request to overturn that precedent or to apply a harmless-error analysis.
On a related issue, the Supreme Court reversed the district court’s earlier decision to suppress Lindaman’s confession to law enforcement. The justices ruled officers did not violate Iowa’s phone-call statute and that Lindaman’s confession could be admissible in a new trial, depending on future rulings.
The case now returns to Polk County District Court, where prosecutors must decide whether to retry Lindaman.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and were abused in state run medical and health facilities, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday, 10am to 4pm.
Dignity4Patients Commentary: This case exhibits the complexity of sexual abuse cases when prosecuting, highlighting the importance of balancing the accused and victim rights during the process of a criminal case in order to ensure fair trial while prioritising survivors safety.
