The Iowa Court of Appeals will hold oral arguments in Clear Lake next month as part of Constitution Day. The event takes place Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 9:30 a.m. in the E.B. Stillman Auditorium at Clear Lake Middle School, and it’s open to the public.
One case on the docket is State v. Withers from Wright County. Rickie Withers was convicted of four counts of second-degree sexual abuse and three counts of third-degree sexual abuse. He’s appealing the denial of a trial delay after prosecutors added witnesses shortly before court, the judge’s decision to allow a guardian ad litem to sit with a witness, and the sentencing order requiring some terms to run consecutively.
The other case, Shimp v. Gibbons, involves a Cerro Gordo County teen injured in a jet ski accident and questions of medical negligence and comparative fault.
A public question-and-answer session will follow the arguments. More information on the oral arguments and backgrounds in these cases can be found here: https://www.iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/court-of-appeals/appeals-on-wheels/clear-lake-sept-2025.
