When a government official does wrong in their line of duty, they can get targeted with a discrimination lawsuit that seeks fair compensation for harassment, unjust treatment, and so on. At a cursory glance, you are probably cheering on people who are brave enough to sue a politician or agency member for inappropriate behavior, undue termination, and more. Yet you might be perturbed to find out the money given to plaintiffs in such cases technically comes out of your pocket. That is to say, taxpayer money is dished out by your state to settle these cases, or when a court orders a verdict award.
In Iowa, the problem of discrimination and harassment lawsuits on a government level has spiked in recent years. In the last eight years, an average of $650,000 has been paid out each year to plaintiffs, all of that money coming from taxpayer money. All in all, this adds up to more than $5 million dollars in less than a decade that could have gone to roadway improvements, public education, etc.
It is important, though, to not get mad at the messenger for these discrimination lawsuits. While a successful discrimination claim does take taxpayer money and give it straight to the plaintiff, they are not the source of the problem. When a case is settled, it is often seen as the defendant giving an unspoken admission of guilt. When a judge or jury gives an award to the plaintiff, it is quite clear the law sees the defendant in the wrong. Therefore, if you are upset about your taxpayer money being lost to discrimination and harassment claims, then you should be angry with the officials, agents, and politicians being targeted by them for their apparent misbehavior.
For more information about this ongoing story, you can click here for a full article posted by WeAreIowa.com. If you believe you have a claim to compensation after injury or wrongdoing caused by another party, then please feel free to contact Danny Cornell Law and our personal injury lawyers in Southeast Iowa. We have closed more than 1,000 client cases in our practice history, and we have secured more than $5 million in recoveries since 2016!
