Court overturns gay bias verdict against former Iowa Governor Brandstad – kwwl.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad did not illegally discriminate or retaliate against a gay state official — overturning a landmark $1.5 million jury verdict.
The court on Wednesday found a lack of evidence to show Branstad, a former U.S. ambassador to China, discriminated against then-Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey because of his sexual orientation.
Godfrey was widely known as openly gay, but justices say there is no proof Branstad was aware of Godfrey’s sexual orientation before asking him to resign and slashing his salary when Godfrey refused.
The ruling overturned a 2019 verdict that found Branstad, a Republican, violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Jurors had awarded Godfrey, a Democrat, $1.5 million in damages.
Read the full Supreme Court opinion.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig released a statement following the decision.
“Gov. Branstad is a good and honorable public servant. The false allegations in the Godfrey lawsuit and lack of evidence were clear from the very beginning. I’m proud to have voted to move forward with funding the appeal on the state’s Executive Council. This partisan lawsuit was nothing short of an attempt to tarnish Gov. Branstad’s character and reputation. I’m glad to see this frivolous case, that has drawn on for a decade, finally come to an end.”
(R) Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig