A cable television company prevailed against gender discrimination claims brought by a plaintiff who alleged employment discrimination based on gender identity. Our firm represented the cable television company in the case.
The plaintiff worked for the company as a direct sales representative based in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area. In October of 2017, he asked about relocating to a company location in Florida. He subsequently received a written warning based on an account audit and when he inquired about relocating, his transfer request was denied because he was not in good standing at that time.
The employee quit and moved to Florida, and then filed suit in Iowa claiming employment discrimination based on gender identity, alleging that two company employees made negligent misrepresentations by purportedly assuring him that he would be permitted to transfer.
A judge in the Northern District of Iowa granted complete summary judgment in favor of the cable television company in August of 2020. The plaintiff did not appeal the decision. This case likely was one of the first cases in the Northern District of Iowa to consider sexual orientation discrimination following the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia.
