Jury finds no political discrimination in case involving former University of Iowa employee

After six years of appeals and trials in the discrimination case involving former University of Iowa employee Teresa Wagner, a jury has found the former UI College of Law dean did not discriminate against her for political views and affiliations.

Jurors in the second trial in the case reached a verdict Monday after deliberating for an hour and a half, according to a UI news release. It was the second time a jury found former UI College of Law Dean Carolyn Jones did not engage in political discrimination by deciding not to hire Wagner, who now goes by Teresa Manning.

The case, which dragged on for years through appeals and delays, had to be retried after the first verdict was dismissed due to a procedural error by the magistrate judge.

Manning's lawsuit claimed school officials unfairly denied her a faculty position because of her conservative Republican views. She was one of three finalists for two teaching jobs in 2007, and she alleged she was rejected by the largely Democratic faculty due to her views and social activism.

In a statement Monday, the university stressed it's an 'equal opportunity employer and engages in fair hiring practices.”

'We are pleased with this outcome, and happy to put this case behind us,” Gail Agrawal, dean of the UI College of Law.