By Dan Browning
The Minnesota Senate filed a motion Thursday seeking to move the employment discrimination lawsuit filed by former Senate staffer Michael Brodkorb into federal court.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson was assigned to the case and will determine whether to accept the petition.
Brodkorb filed the lawsuit last month after failing to reach a settlement with Senate leaders.
Known as a fierce political combatant in the GOP, Brodkorb was fired the day after then-Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch resigned her leadership position. Koch, a Republican from Buffalo, stepped down abruptly after Senators confronted her about an affair she was having with Brodkorb.
In his suit, Brodkorb, the former Senate communications chief, claims he was treated differently than females who had similar trysts with male legislative leaders.
Senate leaders have argued that Brodkorb was an at-will employee who could be fired at any time.
