IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa announced plans Friday to hire an outside firm to review its employment practices after a jury ruled that it discriminated against a high-ranking gay female athletic administrator.
President Bruce Harreld said the review would begin in the athletic department and focus on compliance with the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The department was the focus of a three-week trial that cast a harsh light on the management of Athletic Director Gary Barta,
Jurors on Thursday awarded Jane Meyer, the department’s No. 2 administrator for more than a decade, $1.4 million for lost wages and emotional distress, agreeing that she faced discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. Jurors also found that she faced retaliation for complaining about gender bias and that the university violated Iowa’s equal pay law by paying her $70,000 annually less than a male administrator.
The cost is expected to grow significantly. Meyer’s attorneys, Jill Zwagerman and Tom Newkirk, said they believe that the $374,000 the jury awarded for lost wages will triple because the jury found the pay violation was “willful.” Meyer will also be entitled to have the university reimburse her for attorneys’ fees, which Newkirk said would be around $700,000. Meyer may also seek reinstatement.
Meyer’s attorneys reacted skeptically to the review, noting the university had refused since 2014 to investigate their claims that Barta held female coaches to a tougher standard than male coaches. Harreld also gave Barta a raise and five-year contract extension last year, saying he runs a top-notch department.