Unique case in Missouri high court
February 13, 2010
Missouri: On Tuesday, February 9, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, Michelle Fleshner, for a lawsuit she filed after being fired from her workplace. Fleshner was fired in 2003, just two days after she talked to federal agents investigating her workplace, Pepose Vision Institute. The investigation involved wage and overtime practices at the institute. The ruling has been called "unique" because, experts say, "It’s the first time the Missouri Supreme Court has clearly and unequivocally said that an employee who refused to engage in illegal conduct or reports illegal conduct has a claim." The trial itself has been under question ever since a juror was discovered to have made anti-Semitic remarks about the owner of the Pepose Vision Institute and, as a result, the court also ruled on Tuesday it could mean a retrial. The court ruled that there will be a hearing over the jurors remarks conducted by Judge Mark D. Seigel, of the 21st Circuit Court, who originally presided over the case.[1]
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri
State courts:
Missouri Supreme Court • Missouri Court of Appeals • Missouri Circuit Courts • Missouri Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Missouri • Missouri judicial elections • Judicial selection in Missouri
