Ian Cooper and Laura Hemmer Win Summary Judgment for Jefferson College in Missouri Human Rights Act Lawsuit

 Ian P. Cooper,  Laura E. Hemmer

Ian Cooper and Laura Hemmer recently won an important victory for Jefferson College. In Jones v. Jefferson College, a former faculty member claimed that the College discriminated against him on the basis of age (the employee was 60) when it decided not to renew his appointment. The faculty member brought his age discrimination claim in state court under the Missouri Human Rights Act (“MHRA”). The trial court accepted the legal arguments Ian and Laura submitted on behalf of the College, held the College was entitled to summary judgment and dismissed all claims against the College. The decision was handed down on September 3, 2009 by Judge Stoll of the 23rd Judicial Circuit (Jefferson County, MO). This is an important victory for employers as Missouri courts continue to define the contours of the MHRA.

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.

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, Cooper, Mohan & Jackstadt P.C. 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.