Supreme Court Tosses Ex-Comp Commissioner's $1.5 Million Discrimination Award

The Iowa Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned a $1.5 million jury verdict for former Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Christopher Godfrey, finding that former Gov. Terry Branstad had not unlawfully discriminated against him because of his sexual orientation. Godfrey had been appointed as interim commissioner in 2006 by then-Gov. Thomas Vilsack, a Democrat. After Chet Culver succeeded Vilsack as governor, he nominated Godfrey to serve as commissioner for the duration of the prior commissioner’s term, and he nominated Godfrey for a full six-year term in 2009. The I...