The city of Osage Beach, Missouri, is under fire for allegedly discriminating against one former employee. The woman recently filed a complaint detailing four counts of alleged sex discrimination, age discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination from her position as communications supervisor for the city.
In addition to the city of Osage Beach, other defendants include the human resources generalist and the city administrator. She is seeking a jury trial for lost wages, actual and punitive damages, pain and suffering and costs and attorney’s fees.
According to legal documents filed in the case, the communications supervisor was terminated from her $50,477 a year position on Nov. 22, 2013. She alleges that the defendants hid facts surrounding her dismissal and made untrue, libelous statements to potential employers that made it “virtually impossible” for her to find another comparable position in her chosen field.
Osage Beach city administrators issued a statement indicating that they were “aware of the lawsuit filed by [plaintiff]. We expect the lawsuit to be year defended vigorously and we have confidence in the legal system.”
The plaintiff’s petition alleges that when she was on her scheduled vacation, her detractors initiated an investigation to support claims that she was conducting an affair with the city’s police chief. The plaintiff asserts that when the allegation was proven false, she was then investigated for alleged incompetence.
Some of the employees who worked under the communications supervisor were solicited to get them to make critical statements regarding her job performance, even after the plaintiff claimed to having received “outstanding” past evaluations.
The plaintiff’s replacement, who was promoted on Jan. 25, 2014, had been trained by the terminated communications supervisor and had no prior experience as a supervisor. He was promoted over two female employees who had supervisory experience. His salary was also allegedly lower for the position.
Another allegation addressed in the complaint was the plaintiff’s decision to have surgery during her vacation. Her refusal to disclose her personal, protected health information to the human resources supervisor resulted in retaliation that led up to her termination.
Others in a similar situation may benefit from seeking the experience and wisdom of a seasoned employment law professional.
Source: Lake News Online, “City of Osage Beach sued for discrimination” Dan Field, Sep. 05, 2014
