Employees who filed racial equity suit must pay legal fees

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that two employees who sued the Springfield school district over mandatory racial equity training must pay the district more than $300,000 in legal fees.  Jennifer Lumley and Brooke Henderson argued in their lawsuit that the district violated employees’ rights by forcing them to take racial equity training in 2020. U.S. District Judge Douglas Harpool ruled against the women in January. Last week, Harpool ordered that the women pay the district’s $312,869 in attorney fees. He said the two women, who still work for the district, were trying to draw the district into a political dispute rather than seeking remedy for any actual harm.