Latest news with #MissouriHumanRightsAct
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
City of Kansas City worker says she was targeted after viral Harrison Butker Tweet
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andrea Watts, a Black woman employed as a senior administrative assistant and social media specialist with the City of Kansas City, is suing the city under the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA) and Missouri's whistleblower statute. Watts claims she was subjected to ongoing discrimination based on race, sex and disability. She claims she experienced a hostile work environment and retaliation and was wrongly blamed for a controversial tweet made from the city's official account referencing Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and his residence. Download WDAF+ for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV Butker delivered a commencement speech at Benedictine College on May 11, 2024, which sparked significant controversy after he promoted traditional gender roles and conservative Catholic views. On May 15, 2024, the official City of Kansas City X account posted: 'Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the City of Lee's Summit' After the tweet about Butker went viral, the lawsuit claims Watts was falsely accused online of posting it. According to the lawsuit, she became the target of racist, sexist and violent threats, including death threats and doxxing. Despite internal knowledge that Watts did not post the tweet, the city failed to publicly clear her name, the lawsuit claims. Her LinkedIn profile, personal address and pictures were circulated online, and someone even uploaded a picture of a Black woman who had been lynched outside of her previous home, along with her name. According to the lawsuit, Watts reported that she was being discriminated against and harassed through her employment, which is a violation of the law (the MHRA and the city's policy against discrimination and harassment). The lawsuit says that by the time Watts met with supervisors, dozens of news organizations had written stories about the tweet. Watts repeatedly asked the city to issue a public statement clearing her name. Watts said, despite knowing she wasn't responsible for the tweet, the city never publicly identified her as innocent. The mayor, city manager and assistant city manager made general statements but did not mention her by name, which she argues allowed the threats and harassment to continue. The lawsuit claims she was not offered protection, housing support or assistance to remove her personal information from the internet. View the latest headlines from Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas at According to the lawsuit, she was retaliated against at work, with her duties restricted, communications cut off by supervisors and her mental health accommodation initially denied. Watts said she was also excluded from social media team meetings. The lawsuit says she developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the incident and the workplace hostility she experienced. FOX4 reached out to the city, which said they do not comment on pending litigation. Their response to the lawsuit is due on June 21. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri AG faces pushback from lawmakers over $3M budget increase, Starbucks lawsuit
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, shown speaking with reporters Jan. 13, was grilled by lawmakers Wednesday about his office budget and a new lawsuit filed against Starbucks accusing the company of discrimination (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Members of the Missouri House Budget Committee on Wednesday made Attorney General Andrew Bailey defend his request for millions in additional funding and his decision to sue Starbucks for allegations it discriminated against white applicants in hiring and promotions. Republican members of the committee led the questioning of Bailey's request for new funds, asking why he needed more money when his office hasn't spent all it was given in past years. 'You're asking for more personal service (funding), but you're leaving $2 million on the bottom line,' said state Rep. John Voss, a Republican from Cape Girardeau. 'So why do you say that they're not funded when I think there's sufficient room for you to use that? I honestly think the issue isn't money. It's something else preventing you from being able to hire attorneys.' CONTACT US Democrats took the lead on the Starbucks case, filed Tuesday in federal court. 'I'm just curious if white-served coffee tastes a little bit better because if it does I'm happy to have some,' said state Rep. Raychel Proudie, a Democrat from St. Louis. Bailey defended the budget request by saying his office was seeking to hire experienced attorneys to handle more complex cases and to mentor lawyers hired for their first job after law school. The Starbucks case, Bailey said, was filed because he believes the company's diversity, equity and inclusion programs and executive incentives are illegal. 'The statute in the (Missouri Human Rights Act) says that if it appears to the attorney general that any of these rights are being either violated or even that anyone is suppressing those rights, that the attorney general then, under the statute, has the authority to take legal action,' Bailey said. Lawmakers appropriated $44.7 million for Bailey's office in the current fiscal year and he is asking for $47.4 million for the year beginning July 1. State budget office documents show Bailey spent only $28.2 million of $43 million set aside for his office in fiscal 2024, leaving the remainder, including $1.7 million in general revenue, unspent. Over the past eight years, the attorney general's office has had a growing vacancy problem, with more than 32% of authorized personnel slots unused in fiscal 2024. In fiscal 2017, about 22% of the authorized personnel slots, designated as full time equivalents or FTEs in state budget documents, were unused. Part of the personnel issue for his office, Bailey said, is expanded legal teams at individual state agencies and the lure of private practice once attorneys have gained experience. The increased funding, he said, will help cut turnover by allowing him to recruit more experienced attorneys to work with the newly graduated lawyers. He is not, he said, asking for additional personnel slots. 'I noticed when I took over, to put it in military terms, I had a lot of privates and a lot of lieutenants, but not a lot of sergeants,' Bailey said. Voss, however, wasn't convinced that the extra money is needed. 'I think you have the money,' Voss said. 'I just don't think that's the real problem.' In the Starbucks lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Bailey alleges that hiring and promotion decisions, as well as executive bonuses, were tied to a quota system for women and minority recruitment. In 2020, the lawsuit states, 69% of Starbucks' employees in the United States were women and 47% were Black or other minorities. In September, the filing states, 70.9% of Starbucks employees were women and 52.2% were Black or other minorities. 'In other words, since 2020, Starbuck's workface (sic) has become more female and less white,' the filing states. 'As Attorney General, I have a responsbility (sic) to protect Missourians from a company that actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination,' Bailey said. As a result, Bailey wrote in the lawsuit, 'Missouri consumers pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services that could be provided for less had Starbucks employed the most qualified workers, regardless of their race, color, sex, or national origin.' Starbucks said it does not discriminate in a statement in response to the lawsuit. 'We disagree with the attorney general and these allegations are inaccurate,' the company stated. 'We are deeply committed to creating opportunity for every single one of our partners (employees). Our programs and benefits are open to everyone and lawful. Our hiring practices are inclusive, fair and competitive and designed to ensure the strongest candidate for every job every time.' In the hearing Tuesday, state Rep. Betsy Fogle, a Democrat from Springfield, said she sees nothing wrong in Starbucks increasing its employment of women and minorities. 'There are a lot of us in this room that celebrate that fact,' Fogle said. 'We want women in the workforce. We want individuals and groups who have historically been out of the workforce to be full participants.' In reply, Bailey said he is trying to promote fair hiring for all applicants. 'It is my opinion that everyone should have equal access to job opportunities, and the decisions should be made in accordance with the statutes and promotion of merit,' he said. State Rep. Aaron Crossley, a Democrat from Independence, asked Bailey about other lawsuits against private companies, requesting a list of those actions. 'And then also, could we please get a breakdown of your office's staff and by gender and by race,' he said, 'just make sure that we're practicing what we preach.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Racism Has No Place in Missouri': State Attorney General Sues Starbucks Over Hiring Policies
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has initiated legal action against Starbucks Corp (NASDAQ:SBUX), alleging the company breached both federal and state anti-discrimination laws. The lawsuit asserts that Starbucks employs hiring methods influenced by race and gender, unlawfully segregates its employees, and provides special training and benefits to certain groups based on discriminatory standards. These actions are claimed to violate workplace discrimination laws at both the state and federal levels. The lawsuit arises amid ongoing changes in the legal framework concerning employment discrimination. According to the complaint, by tying compensation to race and gender quotas, Starbucks has caused higher prices and longer service delays for customers in Missouri. 'With Starbucks' discriminatory patterns, practices, and policies, Missouri's consumers are required to pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services that could be provided for less had Starbucks employed the most qualified workers, regardless of their race, color, sex, or national origin,' per the lawsuit. Also Read: Additionally, the company is accused of using similar quotas when choosing board members. These practices, the lawsuit pointed, directly conflict with federal regulations that forbid discrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin. The state has requested that the court immediately halt these discriminatory actions. 'Racism has no place in Missouri. We're filing suit to halt this blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks,' said Bailey. This lawsuit is not Bailey's first legal challenge of this nature. In June 2024, he also filed a case against International Business Machines Corporation for comparable violations under the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA). That case, which also addresses race-based hiring quotas, is still being processed in the courts. Price Action: SBUX shares closed lower by 0.38% at $111.03 on Tuesday. Read Next:Image via Shutterstock. Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? STARBUCKS (SBUX): Free Stock Analysis Report This article 'Racism Has No Place in Missouri': State Attorney General Sues Starbucks Over Hiring Policies originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri Supreme Court hears case on transgender student's use of school bathrooms
Missouri Supreme Court judges heard oral arguments Tuesday morning, including a case on a transgender student who was denied access to multi-stall bathrooms and locker rooms (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Missouri's highest court heard arguments Tuesday over whether a school district's denial of multi-stall bathrooms and locker rooms to a transgender student is a form of sex discrimination. The case may decide if the Missouri Human Rights Act covers legal sex, such as when a birth certificate is amended after gender transition, or is limited to sex as assigned at birth. The MHRA makes it illegal to deny public accommodations on the basis of sex, among other restrictions. The case was brought by a former student of the Blue Springs School District, referred to as his initials R.M.A. in court proceedings, who was barred from boys' bathrooms and locker rooms at his high school. R.M.A. is transgender and has gotten his birth certificate amended to reflect his identity as a man. The case has an extensive history, dating back to an original complaint to the Missouri Human Rights Commission in 2014. The parties have already visited the Missouri Supreme Court once before, arguing over a trial court's dismissal of R.M.A.'s petition. The judges ruled that he had a right to a jury trial, and in 2021, a jury in Jackson County Circuit Court awarded R.M.A. over $4 million in damages. Circuit Court Judge Cory Atkins threw out the jury's decision after the school district asked for him to overrule it. Atkins found 'the verdict to be against the weight of the evidence in that the sole and uncontradicted evidence at trial was the school district made its decisions based on genitalia, not sex.' R.M.A. is appealing that decision, asking to revert to the jury's decision. He argues that being a man with female genitalia is covered under court precedent protecting sex characteristics, citing a 1989 case where a woman was denied a promotion because she was 'macho.' The school district sees it differently, saying this argument would mean the MHRA protects transgender status. The Missouri Supreme Court ruling in 2019 acknowledged that R.M.A alleged discrimination on the basis of sex, not transgender status. Another key difference between the two sides is understanding of R.M.A.'s sex. His doctor testified in prior proceedings that he is a male, as his amended birth certificate reflects. But the school district's attorney, Mark Katz, said definitions of sex, which look at reproductive organs and chromosomes, would label R.M.A. a female — regardless of his male gender identity. Missouri Supreme Court Judge Zel Fischer, who wrote the dissenting opinion on the court's prior ruling favoring R.M.A., asked Tuesday about the distinction. 'Is the element that he is a male, is that a question of fact or question of law?' Fischer asked R.M.A.'s attorney, Alexander Edelman. 'What evidence is there that your client is a male?' Edelman said the only expert testimony in trial court was R.M.A.'s doctor, who said he was a male. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In Edelman's brief filed before oral arguments, he argues that the MHRA does not explicitly define sex as 'biological sex.' 'Even after (the district) was provided with an amended birth certificate stating that (R.M.A.) is male, it failed to stop discriminating against him,' he wrote. Edelman said the school discriminated against him because he wasn't a stereotypical boy. 'It's very clear that the plaintiff's sex was the reason for this discrimination,' he said to the court. 'In that he was a male who was assigned female at birth and so he differed from other males.' Katz told the court that there has to be a basis for determining who belongs in sex-designated spaces, like bathrooms. 'We have decided as a society that we will not allow girls in the boys' room and boys in the girls' room. That's why you have to prove that you belong in the room,' he said. 'In order to be in the boys' room, you have to be a boy.' Judge Paul Wilson asked Katz about the sex stereotyping argument. 'His theory is that you have to be a boy but that you don't have to be the kind of boy (the district) likes,' Fischer said. 'It can be a different kind of boy, right?' Katz said the definition of boy was misconstrued by the other side. 'When it comes to sex, it is our belief that you turn to the dictionary,' he said. 'The dictionary refers to biological and reproductive characteristics and traits, and those biological characteristics and traits are what makes a person a particular sex.' He repeated an argument from the school district's brief that the school discriminated based on genitalia. 'The school district was going based on anatomy because that was its understanding of what was appropriate and best for its students and protection of students,' Katz said. Edelman said no one has checked R.M.A. or other students to verify their anatomy. The birth certificate was the distinction, and Blue Springs School District had received a female birth certificate for R.M.A. prior. If the court rules in R.M.A.'s favor and upholds the jury's verdict, he would be due the $4 million in punitive damages and $175,000 in compensatory damages. It could also set a precedent for other cases involving transgender students' use of school facilities. UPDATE: This story was corrected at 2 p.m. to attribute a question about sex stereotyping to Judge Paul Wilson.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri AG sues Starbucks over 'race-based' hiring, DEI initiatives
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Starbucks on Tuesday for using "race-based hiring practices" in alleged violation of anti-discrimination laws. Bailey's lawsuit alleges that Starbucks violates the Missouri Human Rights Act. The lawsuit highlights programs Starbucks offers to promote "BIPOC" employees, referring to Black, indigenous and people of color. It also targets the company for "setting and tracking annual inclusion and diversity goals of achieving BIPOC representation of at least 30 percent at all corporate levels and at least 40 percent of all retail and manufacturing roles by 2025," according to a draft of the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital. "With Starbucks' discriminatory patterns, practices, and policies, Missouri's consumers are required to pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services that could be provided for less had Starbucks employed the most qualified workers, regardless of their race, color, sex, or national origin," Bailey claimed in a statement. Starbucks did not respond by press time to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Trump Admin Hits Back As Aclu Launches Lawsuit On Birthright Citizenship: 'Ready To Face Them' "As Attorney General, I have a moral and legal obligation to protect Missourians from a company that actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination," Bailey said. "Racism has no place in Missouri. We're filing suit to halt this blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks." Read On The Fox News App Bailey's lawsuit relies on the Supreme Court ruling that federal law prohibits discrimination based on race in college admissions, arguing that the decision also applies to hiring practices. Trump Dhs Repeals Key Mayorkas Memo Limiting Ice Agents, Orders Parole Review By allegedly linking its hiring practices to race and gender quotas, Starbucks has "blatantly violated the law," the lawsuit claims. "Additionally, the company discriminates based on race and gender when it comes to board membership. All of these actions are unlawful," Bailey's office said in a statement. The lawsuit comes just weeks after news that Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol warned the company's employees about incoming layoffs in March. In a message to employees, he highlighted how the company aims to deliver on its "Back to Starbucks" strategy, a series of changes announced last year that aims to enhance customers' in-store experience, but also said it needs to strive for better efficiency, which will ultimately result in layoffs. "We have recently begun the work to define the support organization for the future. We are approaching this work thoughtfully, but it will involve difficult decisions and choices. I expect that, unfortunately, we will have job eliminations and smaller support teams moving forward," Niccol article source: Missouri AG sues Starbucks over 'race-based' hiring, DEI initiatives
