Iowa State ordered to pay former professor nearly $3 million after equal pay verdict

DES MOINES, Iowa– A more than four-year court battle has ended with Iowa State University ordered to pay a former employee nearly $3 million after a jury determined the first woman to work as a professor in the school’s agronomy department was underpaid compared to her male colleagues.

Professor Dr. Silvia Cianzio started working for Iowa State in 1979 as the first female professor in the Department of Agronomy, according to court records. During her 41-year tenure, her attorney says Dr. Cianzio’s work contributed directly to cutting-edge advancements in the field of soybeans.

“She really made a difference, a huge difference, in the ability of Iowa soybean farmers to be able to make a living from planting soybeans based on her discovery,” said attorney Ann Brown, of Ann Brown Legal, who represented Dr. Cianzio in the case.

In 2020, Dr. Cianzio became chair of the department’s Committee on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, where she was tasked with reviewing salary information. According to Brown, that review led to a shocking discovery.

“She was grossly underpaid in comparison to male professors who were performing equal work,” said Brown.

Dr. Cianzio retired shortly afterward. Brown says the university declined to take action after Dr. Cianzio raised the issue.

“She tried to get it resolved at that level,” said Brown. “She was blown off.”

A lawsuit alleging Iowa State discriminated against Dr. Cianzio by paying her less than comparable male colleagues over the course of her career was filed in January of 2022.

On Wednesday, after a nearly four-and-a-half-year court battle, a jury ruled in her favor.

“She does feel vindicated,” said Brown.

The jury found Dr. Cianzio was “willfully” underpaid nearly $725,000 since 2009 alone. Under Iowa law, that amount was tripled. With interest, a judge entered a $2.77 million judgment on Thursday.

Iowa State maintains its pay practices comply with the law and do not discriminate based on gender or any protected status. In a statement to WHO 13’s Katie Kaplan, the university said it respectfully disagrees with the jury’s decision and plans to appeal.

Brown says they are prepared for that next legal battle.

“The fight continues if that’s what it’s going to be,” said Brown.

Brown added that the case is not about the money, but the principle.

The case also set a statewide legal precedent. During the four-and-a-half years of litigation, the case made its way to the Iowa Supreme Court. The justices ruled employees who prove they have been underpaid can recover years of back pay under Iowa’s Equal Pay Act, which was established in 2009.

“That should be a motivator for employers to get women, and in Iowa it’s any protected class,” said Brown. “Up to being paid equally and fairly with their male counterparts to avoid that exposure to liability.”

A spokesperson for the Iowa Board of Regents, which was also named in the case, declined to comment.

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