• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / News / After 7 years, trial underway in discrimination lawsuit against Branstad administration

After 7 years, trial underway in discrimination lawsuit against Branstad administration

June 6, 2019 By Radio Iowa Contributor

Polk County Courthouse, Des Moines

Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is scheduled to testify next week at a trial in Des Moines. Branstad and two of his aides are accused of pressuring Chris Godfrey, the state’s Workers Compensation Commission, to resign eight years ago because he’s gay.

Roxanne Conlin, Godfrey’s attorney, said after that, Godfrey’s salary was cut by about a third.

“They did that to force him to resign. They figured that would happen,” Conlin said in opening arguments to the jury yesterday. “They were wrong.”

Attorney Frank Harty, who’s representing the state and Branstad in the trial, said Branstad was unaware Godfrey was gay and asked Godfrey to step down because of complaints about Godfrey’s decisions on workers comp cases.

“He had…become a lightning rod. He had earned the distain and the distrust of the business community,” Harty said.

Godfrey filed a discrimination lawsuit against the state in 2012. In 2014, Godfrey left state government to become the chief judge of the federal board that decides employee compensation appeals. He still serves in that role today.

The State of Iowa has paid more than a million dollars paying the private attorneys who’s worked on the case, defend Branstad and his aides, over the past seven years.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Grant Gerlock; additional reporting by Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson)

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Crime / Courts, News, Politics / Govt Tagged With: Terry Branstad

Featured Stories

Final employee who was there at the launch of the Iowa Lottery to retire

No more USPS mail in Iowa prisons; inmates to get copies of mail

State officials warn of influx of fake prescription drugs laced with fentanyl

‘Brain-eating amoeba’ discovered in Taylor County lake

Cedar Rapids therapist’s relationship with student leads to years in prison

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Knee injury sidelines Iowa’s Feuerbach

Iowa State’s McDonald has unfinished business

Hawkeyes open fall camp

Northern Iowa picked to finish fifth in MVFC race

Hunter Dekkers takes over at Iowa State

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC