A state employer tried to level down. He walked instead. Then he sued – and the court said no
An Iowa appeals court has tossed a sex-discrimination case from a male hearing officer who retired before a planned pay cut took effect.
In a decision filed May 13, 2026, the Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment for the State of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Education, finding that Randy Reiter could not pursue wage- or sex-discrimination claims under the Iowa Civil Rights Act when his pay was never actually reduced.
Reiter worked as a disability hearing officer at Iowa Disability Determination Services, presiding over contested hearings for claimants whose Social Security disability benefits had been terminated. The role was classified as an Administrative Law Judge 2 position – a higher pay grade.
In 2017, the bureau chief learned from the regional Social Security office that most other states did not classify these hearing officers as administrative law judges, meaning Iowa's officers were paid significantly more than counterparts elsewhere. The bureau chief asked to reclassify the role to a lower-paying disability examiner specialist advanced classification. The change went through in September 2017. Reiter's pay was not touched at the time.
Three years later, a co-worker, Ellen McComas, asked for her job to be reclassified upward to the higher classification. The state had updated the position rules to allow that classification for employees with a college degree...
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