Opinion ID: 2188926
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Emotional Distress Issue.

Text: Emotional distress is a proper element of damage in a wrongful discharge case, Hy-Vee, 453 N.W.2d at 525; Chauffeurs, Teamsters & Helpers v. Iowa Civil Rights Comm'n, 394 N.W.2d 375, 383 (Iowa 1986), and the Commission awarded such damages here. The district court concluded the award lacked substantial evidence in the record and reversed, noting that Hamer's distress was short-lived, that she had received unemployment benefits during the time of her unemployment, and that no medical evidence was introduced to show treatment for emotional distress. The court contrasted the facts of this case to those in Chauffeurs and concluded that the conduct of the employer in Chauffeurs and the impact of the wrongful discharge in that case were more egregious. As we said in Hy-Vee (which was filed after the district court's ruling in this case), however, a civil rights complainant may recover compensable damages for emotional distress without a showing of physical injury, severe distress, or outrageous conduct. Hy-Vee, 453 N.W.2d at 526. It is true that the impact on Hamer was concededly less severe than in Chauffeurs and in Hy-Vee, but the amount of the award, $5000, was correspondingly reduced. We conclude that the record amply supports the award of emotional distress damages and that it was error for the district court to reject it. We therefore reverse the district court and order the reinstatement of the Commission's award for emotional distress.