In the aftermath of a trial that saw Karen Ray, a Jefferson County High School journalism teacher, awarded $225,000 in punitive damages for sexual and age discrimination, two new trials emerged targeting the very same school district. The original suit filed by Ray alleged that she had been bullied out of her job and endured… Read More
Posts Categorized In: Workplace Discrimination
Man Alleges Missouri Company Revoked Employment Offer After Learning He Was Gay
Mark Horton was working as the vice president of sales and marketing at Celtic Healthcare in Illinois when a recruiter hired by a Missouri firm, Midwest Geriatric Management thought he would be a good fit for an opening they had. Horton applied for the position and was well liked. He was offered the job. After… Read More
Migrant Workers
The United States is a country of immigrants; it has been since its founding over 200 years ago. This concept led to the country adopting the descriptor of “melting pot,” as people from all over the world have come to the US and now live together. The same principle applies to the Evergreen State, especially… Read More
Kansas City Firefighter Denied Promotion on Grounds of Race Wins Lawsuit
Tarshish Jones, a veteran Kansas City firefighter, won a $356,000 workplace discrimination settlement against the KC fire department in October of last year. The settlement came after Missouri legislators changed the law raising the standard of proof in discrimination cases. Beforehand, employees claiming workplace discrimination need only prove that discrimination played into an overall decision-making… Read More
Missouri Legislature Seeks to Put Further Restrictions on Employee Lawsuits
Missouri workers’ right to sue their companies for workplace discrimination has been the subject of widespread tort reform over the past couple of years. The controversial SB 43 included measures that: Shield perpetrators of sexual misconduct from being directly sued by their victims. Make it easier for employers to discriminate against their employees. Limits punitive… Read More
Can an Employer Legally Run a Credit Check Before Employing You?
Can a simple credit check provide a comprehensive understanding of a potential employee? Can such a check differentiate a bad employee from a good one? According to a good number of insights from ordinary employers, conducting a credit check is important in selecting the suitable candidate for a given job position. In fact, a significant… Read More
US Court Rules Discriminating Against Employees for Wearing Dreadlocks is Legal
The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the EEOC, which filed a lawsuit on behalf of Chastity Jones. Jones filed a discrimination lawsuit after having an offer of employment rescinded by Catastrophe Management Services located in Mobile, Alabama. They said her dreadlocks violated company policy on personal grooming. While it is true that… Read More
Former Hospital Employee Alleges Hostile Workplace in Discrimination Lawsuit
Kevin Anderson, a former employee of Mercy Villa and Mercy Hospital, has filed a lawsuit against the hospital alleging that he was fired for reporting instances of workplace harassment. The lawsuit alleges that Anderson endured a hostile work environment in which other employees called him racial slurs. Anderson claims that staff referred to him as… Read More
Federal Court Finds in Favor of Transgender Funeral Director
In a case that pitted religious freedom against gender expression, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled in favor of a transgender funeral director who was fired from her job because of her gender expression. She disclosed her intent to transition to her bosses, who then fired her, the complaint said. The… Read More
Is Discriminating Against Overweight Employees Legal In Missouri?
While certain forms of discrimination may be frowned upon in the media, they are not necessarily overtly illegal. For instance, sexual orientation is not considered a protected class in Missouri. If an employer fires someone because he or she is gay, a lawyer would have to argue that this is a form of gender or… Read More