Former Cole County deputy’s discrimination case sent back to circuit court
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A former Cole County Sheriff’s deputy’s discrimination lawsuit against the county has been sent back down to the Cole County Circuit Court.
David Barrett filed a lawsuit in June 2022, alleging he was fired due to racial discrimination. According to previous reporting, Barrett believed he was fired in 2021 after coworkers learned he was biracial. He started as a deputy in 2006.
The case was dismissed in June 2023 and Barrett had filed an appeal in the Western District Missouri Court of Appeals.
According to an opinion filed on April 2 by Judge Cynthia Martin, the court sent the decision back to the Cole County Circuit Court after the court agreed with the circuit court’s decision on judicial review, but reversed the circuit court’s dismissal of Barrett’s claims that the Missouri Human Rights Act was violated, citing employment discrimination and retaliation claims.
A Casenet entry shows the case was sent back to the Cole County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Barrett was allegedly told he was terminated due to “incompetence,” “dissatisfaction” that had been building for years, “loss of trust,” and finally “abuse of authority" but he was never disciplined for any of these prior to termination, according to previous reporting.
