New Iowa Supreme Court ruling covers hostile work environment

The Iowa Supreme Court filed its opinion in Tracy White v. State of Iowa and Iowa Department of Human Services on April 12, 2024. This case related to the issues of hostile work environments as raised under the Iowa Civil Rights Act (Iowa Code 216). 

About the case

The foundation of Tracy White’s Iowa Civil Rights Commission complaint and later civil petition was sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. She alleged there were multiple instances of such conduct by her supervisor, some of which she witnessed and “some of which she learned about later.” She was employed by the state at the time of her complaints and remained employed even after her supervisor was fired as a result of her concerns. 

The court noted that “considerable ‘me too’ testimony” was both offered and admitted at trial. However, White asserted that other employees experienced a hostile work environment, and she used those examples to show she had suffered from a hostile work environment as well.