Former Edina plastic surgeon sentenced to electronic home monitoring, probation for mistreating patients
Christopher Kovanda (Credit: Hennepin County Jail)
A former plastic surgeon in Edina learned his future in Hennepin County Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to mistreatment of patients.
Christopher John Kovanda, 57, was sentenced to 45 days of electronic home monitoring and a stayed sentence of 364 days in jail if he violates the terms of his release, which includes two years of probation.
Kovanda was initially charged with two counts of fifth-degree criminal sex conduct, but on Sept. 5 he pleaded guilty to two counts of mistreatment of patients in exchange for his sentence.
The criminal complaint details accusations from several women made from 2008 to 2021, but the criminal investigation focused on two incidents in June and November of 2021.
The first count of criminal sexual conduct comes from a woman who reported in June 2021 that she was assaulted by Kovanda in November 2019. The victim said the attack happened when she was being prepped for surgery in Kovanda’s Edina office. Kovanda allegedly grabbed the victim’s lower back and buttocks and pulled her close while pushing himself against her private areas with his face close to hers. The court document states the victim pushed Kovanda away “after overcoming the shock” and he “proceeded to act as if nothing happened.”
The second count of criminal sexual conduct is based on incidents that happened throughout 2021 and were reported in November of that year. The victim said the first incident happened on Jan. 15 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital when Kovanda brought her into a room to be marked for surgery. The victim was told to stand naked in front of a mirror, and Kovanda reportedly ran his hand up her naked body.
The victim said that during a follow-up surgery on June 15, 2021, she was again instructed to stand completely naked in front of a mirror. The complaint states that Kovanda got on his knees and ran his body up her backside as he stood up. The victim reported feeling his erect genitalia against her as he pulled her body back toward him. The complaint states Kovanda said something to the effect of “you’re going to look great.”
The victim said inappropriate touching also happened at another post-op appointment in July 2021, when Kovanda ran his hand along places where she did not have sutures and placed his face close to her private area.
The complaint included reports from five other women who detailed similar behavior from Kovanda.