The state of Iowa spent almost $3.2 million defending former Gov. Terry Branstad for actions he took to force Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey out of office, according to a report by KBOE.

Chris Godfrey

After Branstad was elected governor in 2010, he requested the resignation of numerous executive branch officers including Godfrey. When Godfrey refused to quit, the governor’s office cut his salary.

In a 2012 lawsuit against Branstad, Godfrey alleged he was singled out for discriminatory treatment because he is gay. A jury in 2019 awarded him $1.5 million, but the Iowa Supreme Court last year threw out the jury’s verdict.

KBOE reports the state’s Executive Council recently approved a final payment of $371,000 to the law firm that represented Branstad.

Godfrey is now the director of the federal Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.