$1.4M Verdict in Iowa Athletics Gender Bias Suit

A state jury found Thursday that the University of Iowa athletics department engaged in bias based on gender and sexual orientation against Jane Meyer, and awarded her $1.43 million, The Des Moines Register reported. The judge in the case may order additional damages. Meyer was the senior associate athletic director at Iowa from 2001 to 2014, and she said she was effectively pushed out for being a woman and a lesbian and for drawing attention to gender-equity issues. Her lawyers now plan to ask the judge to order an investigation into bias issues in the athletics department. The university issued a brief statement: "The university is disappointed by the jury's decision."