A Polk County Grand Jury Tuesday awarded Kirsten Anderson nearly double what she'd asked for in damages in her sexual harrassment lawsuit against the state of Iowa and the Iowa Senate GOP Caucus.
Anderson claimed she-and other female staffers in the Iowa Senate GOP caucus-were subjected to lewd jokes, comments and other behavior. She also claimed that four hours after presenting a memo complaining about the behavior, she was fired in 2012 by the caucus staff director from her job as the Communications Director of the Iowa GOP caucus staff.
In an interview with WHO-TV after the jury awarded her nearly $2.2 million dollars in damages, Anderson said she felt she was vindicated by the verdict. She also said she hoped her case would encourage other women to step forward and tell their bosses when such behavior is present.
Senate GOP leader Bill Dix released a statement after the verdict stating that the behaviors talked about during the trial occurred before he took over as leader of the caucus. He said all previous complaints were dealt with and promised an investigation into any new charges unveiled during Anderson's lawsuit.