Thought Leadership

Appeals Court Rules Sexual Orientation Not Covered by the Missouri Human Rights Act

October 27, 2015 Advisory

The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, ruled today that the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA) does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Accordingly, it affirmed dismissal of a former employee’s sexual orientation discrimination suit for failure to state a claim. 

Currently, the MHRA prohibits discrimination based on “sex.” It does not define “sex,” and neither the terms “sexual orientation,” “sexual preference” and/or “sexual identity” appear within its text. The Western District attached great weight to this omission. It reasoned that the Missouri legislature’s intent in including the term “sex” in the MHRA was solely to prohibit gender discrimination. It found no indication that the legislature intended this term to have any other meaning, or to have anything to do with sexual orientation. Though the Court expressed sympathy for the former employee’s situation, it noted it is constrained by the state of the law as it currently exists. Until and unless the legislature specifically enumerates “sexual orientation” as a protected class under the MHRA, the Western District will not extend the definition of sex via judicial interpretation. 

Caution: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission considers the definition of “sex” under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – the federal counterpart to the MHRA – to include sexual orientation. Please also keep in mind that the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District governs appeals from the western half of the state only. 

_______________________________________________________________

Conclusion: The case is important for Missouri employers defending against MHRA claims based on sexual orientation but does not impact federal claims brought under Title VII. Employers should continue to consider sexual orientation as a protected class under federal law even if they are in the Western half of Missouri to best position themselves to defend against “sex discrimination” charges and lawsuits. Please contact any of the lawyers in Armstrong Teasdale’s Employment and Labor group if you have questions about this important recent development.

Contact Us
  • Worldwide
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Denver, CO
  • Dublin, Ireland
  • Edwardsville, IL
  • Jefferson City, MO
  • Kansas City, MO
  • Las Vegas, NV
  • London, England
  • Miami, FL
  • New York, NY
  • Orange County, CA
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Princeton, NJ
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • St. Louis, MO
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Wilmington, DE
Worldwide
abstract image of world map
Boston, MA
800 Boylston St.
30th Floor
Boston, MA 02199
Google Maps
Boston, Massachusetts
Chicago, IL
100 North Riverside Plaza
Suite 1500
Chicago, IL 60606-1520
Google Maps
Chicago, Illinois
Denver, CO
4643 S. Ulster St.
Suite 800
Denver, CO 80237
Google Maps
Denver, Colorado
Dublin, Ireland
Fitzwilliam Hall, Fitzwilliam Place
Dublin 2, Ireland
Google Maps
Edwardsville, IL
115 N. Second St.
Edwardsville, IL 62025
Google Maps
Edwardsville, Illinois
Jefferson City, MO
101 E. High St.
First Floor
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Google Maps
Jefferson City, Missouri
Kansas City, MO
2345 Grand Blvd.
Suite 1500
Kansas City, MO 64108
Google Maps
Kansas City, Missouri
Las Vegas, NV
7160 Rafael Rivera Way
Suite 320
Las Vegas, NV 89113
Google Maps
Las Vegas, Nevada
London, England
Royal College of Surgeons of England
38-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London, WC2A 3PE
Google Maps
Miami, FL
355 Alhambra Circle
Suite 1200
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Google Maps
Photo of Miami, Florida
New York, NY
7 Times Square, 44th Floor
New York, NY 10036
Google Maps
New York City skyline
Orange County, CA
19800 MacArthur Boulevard
Suite 300
Irvine, CA 92612
Google Maps
Philadelphia, PA
2005 Market Street
29th Floor, One Commerce Square
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Google Maps
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Princeton, NJ
100 Overlook Center
Second Floor
Princeton, NJ 08540
Google Maps
Princeton, New Jersey
Salt Lake City, UT
222 South Main St.
Suite 1830
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Google Maps
Salt Lake City, Utah
St. Louis, MO
7700 Forsyth Blvd.
Suite 1800
St. Louis, MO 63105
Google Maps
St. Louis, Missouri
Washington, D.C.
1717 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006
Google Maps
Photo of Washington, D.C. with the Capitol in the foreground and Washington Monument in the background.
Wilmington, DE
1007 North Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
Google Maps
Wilmington, Delaware