A jury has awarded a former state employee $1.5 million in damages, finding that former Iowa governor Terry Branstad discriminated against him based on his sexual orientation.

The 8 person jury in Polk County decided on Monday retaliated against former Iowa Worker's Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey. It found that Branstad and the state of Iowa, discriminated against Godrey because he is gay.

Godrey, a Democrat, sued back in 2012 that Branstad, a Republican, pressured him to resign and cut his pay when he refused to step down. The guilty verdict wraps up the six-week-long trial but it does not mark the end of the legal battles between the two sides. On top of the damages awarded for past and future emotional distress, a judge will also determine additional fees to be paid to attorneys.

Branstad claimed during the case that always treated everyone with dignity and respect, whether gay or straight.

 

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