This web page is about unlawful termination claims and settlements in Missouri.
It is unusual for good cases to go to trial, because they typically reach settlement out of trial. But when they do not reach settlement, there will be a lawsuit, in which the defendant or the plaintiff will prevail.
A large number of these litigation cases incorporate mixed verdicts, which means they involved 1, or possibly several claims of unlawful firing caused by pregnancy, race, color, national origin, religion discrimination, constructive discharge, age discrimination, gender discrimination, whistleblower or sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity discrimination.
The data displayed exhibits a snapshot of the various types of claims filed along with their specific volumes in the state of MO in 2017.
| State | 2017 Total Charges | % of Total USA Charges | Race | Sex | Natl Origin | Religion | Color | Retaliation All Statutes | TVII Retaliation | Age | Disability | EPA | GINA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 2144 | 2.50% | 755 | 720 | 109 | 85 | 115 | 1172 | 861 | 588 | 698 | 26 | 6 |
Source: https://www1.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/state_17.cfm
Wrongful discharge and discrimination cases & settlements in Missouri
$ 1,620,000
12/1/2010
EEOC v Akal Security
Akal Security is the biggest contractor of security services to the federal government. The firm contracts security personnel to army bases, federal buildings, NASA facilities, etc.
Based on reports by 26 pregnant women, the EEOC sued the company for pregnancy discrimination, which violates the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The women, who worked as security guards at US Army bases, alleged that after they became pregnant, they were treated less favorably, were prevented from taking physical agility tests needed for their job certifications, were forced to go on leave, and were terminated.
The company denied wrongdoing, but settled this discrimination and wrongful termination case through a consent decree. They paid a total of $1.62 million to the women represented by the EEOC. Source
$ 300,000
2/7/2006
Jevon Crudup v Raytown School District
Jevon Crudup was the assistant basketball coach at Raytown South High School.
He was fired from his coaching job, with the school district claiming that it was because he swore at his basketball players. Crudp claimed that he was discriminated against since he was black, given that other white coaches who also swore at their players were not fired.
Racial discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. He sued the school district, and the jury awarded him $50,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages. Source
$ 300,000
4/17/2008
EEOC v Walmart
Walmart was opening a new super center in Richmond, and was conducting mass hiring.
Steve Bradley applied to work at the store. He has cerebral palsy, which limits the use of his legs. He uses arm crutches for short walks, and a wheelchair for longer ones.
During his interview, he was told that because of his disability, he was best suited for a customer greeter position. In the end, Walmart refused to hire him.
Bradley field a report at the EEOC, which sued Walmart for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Act protects not just existing employees, but job applicants as well. They alleged Bradley was discriminated against because of his disability. The lawsuit was short, as summary judgment was granted to Walmart. However, on appeal, the Eigth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned this decision.
In the end, Walmart settled through a consent decree, paying Bradley $300,000. This result came after 4 years of litigation. Source
$ 2,600,000
6/27/2011
Jordan Griffin and Colleen Low v Kansas City
Griffin and Low were employed by the local government of Kansas City as budget analysts. Griffin was in her 50’s and Low in her 60’s at the time. They were both white.
They alleged that since 2006, they could not apply for job opening within the company, since City Manager Wayne Cauthen preferred to hire people from various minority groups.
In 2009, both women were fired when the city faced declining revenues, even though minorities or younger employees with less experience and lower performance evaluations were not fired.
They sued the City of Kansas City for wrongful termination, age and race discrimination. Griffin was awarded$1.3 million and Low $1.5 million. Source
$ 570,000
3/18/2010
EEOC v Imagine Schools
Imagine Schools operates charter schools all across the country. They chose to close one of their charter middle schools in Kansas City, and at the same time, open a private school at the same location.
Charity Brooks, an assistant and LuShonda Smith, an office manager, worked at the charter school. They were both pregnant when the school was closed. Their employment was not renewed at the new school, and as such they were discriminated against due to their pregnancy. This violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
The EEOC filed a lawsuit against the company, and the case was settled with a consent decree. The company paid $570,000 to the fired employees. Source
$ 750,000
8/21/2014
Mable Ramey-Moore v Kansas City
In another lawsuit targeting Kansas City, Mable Ramey-Moore, a black woman, alleged she was discriminated against and wrongfully terminated based on her age, sex and race.
She held the position of Assistant Director of the Water Department, a job from which she was removed from despite having excellent performance evaluations. She was moved to a different position, but she was soon terminated.
The Department claimed that the reason for her termination was budget cutting, yet she was the only person fired. Also, the Department posted job offerings for her old positions after she was fired.
She sued Kansas City for wrongful termination and reached a settlement of $750,000. Source
$ 60,000
4/25/2017
EEOC v Profile Cabinet and Design
Brandon Fitzpatrick and Theopilis Bryant worked for the Kansas City company in Missouri. They were African American employees.
The EEOC sued their ex-employer for race discrimination, after they were wrongfully discharged for something they didn’t commit. The company alleged that the 2 men were fired because they falsified Bryant’s time card, when in fact, there was evidence that another white worker did it.
This wrongful termination claim settled for $60,000. Source
$ 200,000
12/28/2010
Glenda Sue Claus v. Intrigue Hotels
Glenda Claus started working at the Park Place Hotel in Kansas City in 1984 as a room attendant. Her boss, the head of housekeeping promoted her to the housekeeping supervisor position in 2006.
In 2007 her boss resigned, and a new person was hired to fill the role. The new manager fired Claus 2 months later, when Claus was 63 years old.
Alleging age discrimination, she reported the events with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, and sued the hotel for violating the Missouri Human Rights Act by wrongfully terminating her because of her age. The jury awarded her $50,000 in actual damages and $150,000 in punitive damages, a decision which was affirmed by the Missouri Court of Appeals. Source
When thinking about this listing of unlawful firing verdicts from Missouri, remember the bigger amounts are the outcome of punitive compensation. Punitive damages are brought to prevent corporations from carrying out the same unjust act. Punitive compensation is quite rare. The majority of lawsuits settle for anywhere from ten thousand to one hundred thousand dollars.
This unique listing of unlawful termination verdicts and settlements in MO is intended for informative purposes. Despite the fact that you feel resemblance to any of these cases, don’t forget that each and every single case is different.
Average wrongful discharge settlements in Missouri
It’s easy to understand that you would like to check approximately how much money you can expect to get for your unlawful termination case. In the event that you reach settlement, the amount you receive is basically determined by the following: reason of discharge, lost earnings, emotional distress, lost benefits, medical expenses and costs of finding a new job. Punitive damages might also be awarded in rare cases, in the event the employer behaved egregiously.
As can be seen from the sample lawsuits in this article, presenting a typical settlement for wrongful dismissal claims in MO is challenging since every single claim is different.
The average wrongful termination settlement in Missouri is between $5,000 and $100,000. Attorneys are helpful in working out a higher settlement.
The typical jury awards are usually higher, between $80,000 to $300,000. This is one of the reasons companies prefer to accept a settlement before going to court.
Filing a wrongful discharge or discrimination claim in Missouri
If you think maybe you were fired for some kind of illegal reason, read on to find out what you should do.
To start, you will want to contact a wrongful termination attorney in Missouri in order to discover if there is a case worth going after.
Don’t wait, there are certain deadlines to submitting unlawful termination claims in Missouri.
2nd, you will most likely need to file a timely claim with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights (MCHR), which has a work sharing agreement with the EEOC.
These are the steps you should take to file a wrongful discharge lawsuit.
