Ian P. Cooper
Laura E. HemmerTueth Keeney attorneys led by Ian Cooper recently obtained a summary judgment on behalf of an employer, ConocoPhillips, in a lawsuit alleging employment discrimination. Via a complaint filed on November 27, 2007, plaintiff alleged discrimination on the basis of her gender and her age in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1974 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. On February 5, 2009, the Honorable Judge Reagan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois granted summary judgment in favor of Tueth Keeney client ConocoPhillips, and dismissed the plaintiff’s case against the company.
Judge Reagan first ruled that the plaintiff had presented no direct evidence of discrimination. Accordingly, the Judge agreed with Tueth Keeney’s argument that the plaintiff needed to prove that she had performed her job according to her employer’s legitimate expectations, that she suffered an adverse employment action and that similarly situated employees outside the protected class were treated more favorably. Judge Reagan agreed with the Summary Judgment motion brought forth by Tueth Keeney, that the plaintiff had not met the burden of proof, and that the employer was therefore entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
The attorneys defending ConocoPhillips in this matter were Ian Cooper, Amy Clendennen and Laura Hemmer.
Ian Cooper is a founding Shareholder of the Firm of Tueth, Keeney, Cooper, Mohan & Jackstadt P.C. Prior to founding the Firm, Ian was a partner at Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin in its St. Louis office. Before entering private practice, Ian served as Law Clerk to the Hon. James F. Warren of the Texas Court of Appeals, First Supreme Judicial District, in Houston, Texas from 1984-1985.
Ian practices in the areas of commercial, employment, higher education, environmental, and tort litigation. Ian has tried numerous jury and bench trials in federal and state courts in Missouri, Illinois, Texas and Arkansas. Ian has served as lead counsel in significant employment, tort and commercial cases, including class actions and other complex litigation.
Amy Clendennen practices primarily in the areas of education, litigation, labor and employment law. Amy has extensive experience advising employers on human relations and labor policies. She has litigated claims in state and federal courts in Missouri, Illinois, California, and New York. Amy has also represented clients in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Missouri Human Rights Commission and the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
Laura E. Hemmer practices primarily in the areas of education law. She represents public entities with respect to employment and termination matters, special education issues, student discipline and student rights, civil rights and church/state issues. During law school, Laura served as a legal intern with the United States Attorney’s Office and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
Tueth Keeney has successfully represented a number of businesses, large and small, throughout the Midwest in Labor and Employment matters. Our broad range of experience includes employment discrimination litigation, wage-hour investigations, affirmative action revision plans development, INS audits, and a variety of traditional labor matters.