Old Standards Die Hard: MHRA Pre-Amendment “Contributing Factor” Standard Allowed for Harassment Claim Based on Events Before and After MHRA Amendment

The Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA), which prohibits employment discrimination, was amended in 2017 to require an employee claiming employment discrimination to show that his or her protected characteristic was a “motivating factor” of the adverse actions, rather than merely a “contributing factor” as required under the previous standard. It also applied a $500,000 damages […]

Missouri Supreme Court Holds that an Employee’s Mere “Request for Accommodation” of a Disability Does Not Support a Retaliation Claim Under the MHRA

On August 28, 2017, several new, employer-friendly provisions of the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA) took effect. Since then, the Missouri Supreme Court has issued a string of employment law opinions favorable to employers. Most recently, the Supreme Court struck a victory for employers defending retaliation claims asserted under the MHRA based upon requests for […]