The state Judicial Building.

The Iowa Supreme Court threw out one portion of the case,  but has upheld an award to a transgender nurse who used to work for the Iowa Department of Corrections.

Jesse Vroeghsued after he transitioned from female to male in 2014 and was told to use a unisex bathroom in a different building instead of the men’s bathroom. He cited sex and gender discrimination and won in court. The Supreme Court upheld the $120,000 jury verdict for gender discrimination but threw out the sex discrimination finding.

The court also denied Vroegh’s cross-appeal against health insurer Wellmark for denial of coverage for gender transition surgery. The opinion says the state determined which procedures were or were not covered under the policy, not Wellmark.

Vroegh was fired in 2017 for an issue unrelated to this case.