Employment Lawyer Columbia, MO
If you have been fired, disciplined, denied pay, or mistreated at work, employment law may give you a path to recover damages and restore your rights.
TGH Litigation represents employees across Missouri in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, and contract disputes. Our founding partners bring more than 80 years of combined experience in employment and civil rights litigation. We remain dedicated to serving clients across Missouri with integrity, experience, and a steadfast commitment to justice. Request a free consultation with our Columbia, MO employment lawyer to discuss your case.
Why Choose TGH Litigation for Employment Cases in Columbia, MO?
Trial Attorneys With Deep Employment Experience
J. Andrew Hirth handles employment and civil rights litigation at the trial and appellate levels. He is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar and five federal circuit courts, including the Eighth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits, and earned his J.D. cum laude from Mizzou Law.
Julianne Germinder, a recipient of the Women’s Justice Award, represents employees in discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination cases. She earned her J.D. from Washington University School of Law and two undergraduate degrees magna cum laude from the University of Missouri.
Joanna Trachtenberg handles employment discrimination, whistleblower protection, workers’ compensation retaliation, wage and hour disputes, separation agreements, and non-compete matters. She holds a J.D. cum laude from NYU School of Law and an M.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Limerick.
Verdicts and Settlements for Missouri Employees
We secured a $1.12 million verdict against the University of Central Missouri for unlawful retaliation. We obtained a $6.14 million verdict against St. Louis Public Schools for sex discrimination and retaliation against a female employee. We won a $2.15 million verdict for a nurse sexually harassed at the Missouri Department of Corrections. We have vindicated whistleblowers at the Missouri Department of Revenue, SEMA, and the City of Sturgeon.
Representation Before Every Relevant Forum
Employment cases often move across multiple forums before reaching a final resolution, including the EEOC, the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, the Department of Labor, arbitration panels, and state and federal courts. Our attorneys appear regularly in each of these forums and understand how a ruling in one affects what is possible in the others.
Free, No-Pressure Case Review
We offer free and confidential consultations. Our attorney will review what happened, identify the laws that apply, and give you an honest assessment of the strength of your case.
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“I have spoken to other lawyers who made it clear that their time was money and I could not waste time explaining myself. At TGH, the lawyers listened thoroughly, never rushed us, and communicated back in person, email and phone completely and immediately. In a very timely manner.”
— A.L.
Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Types of Employment Cases We Handle in Columbia
Our employment attorneys represent workers across the full range of claims that arise under federal and Missouri law.
- Employment discrimination. Claims based on race, sex, age, disability, religion, national origin, or other protected characteristics under Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA, and the Missouri Human Rights Act.
- Sexual harassment. Hostile work environment and quid pro quo claims against employers who fail to prevent or address harassing conduct by supervisors, coworkers, or third parties.
- Whistleblower retaliation. Claims under the Missouri Whistleblower Protection Act and related federal laws on behalf of employees who reported illegal conduct, fraud, safety violations, or misconduct and faced adverse action as a result.
- Wrongful termination. Claims arising when an employer fires a worker for a reason prohibited by law, including discrimination, retaliation, and violations of public policy.
- Retaliation. Adverse actions taken against employees who engaged in protected activity, including filing internal complaints, reporting harassment, testifying in investigations, or asserting rights under wage and hour laws.
- Wage and hour violations. Unpaid wages, unpaid overtime, misclassification as independent contractors or exempt employees, and failure to pay earned commissions or bonuses under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Missouri law.
- Discrimination in education. Claims by teachers, professors, administrators, and other school employees against Missouri school districts, colleges, and universities.
- Contract and separation disputes. Breach of employment contract claims, disputes over severance terms, and enforcement or challenge of non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.
- Workers’ compensation retaliation. Adverse employment actions taken against workers who filed or pursued legitimate workers’ compensation claims.
Missouri Legal Requirements for Employment Cases
Missouri employment cases run under a combination of federal and state statutes, each with its own procedural rules and deadlines.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects workers age 40 and older, and the Americans with Disabilities Act covers disability discrimination and reasonable accommodation.
The Missouri Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. A 2017 amendment raised the causation standard to “motivating factor” and imposed caps on compensatory and punitive damages, which vary by employer size.
The Missouri Whistleblower Protection Act protects private-sector employees who report legal violations to proper authorities, report serious misconduct of the employer that violates a clear public policy mandate, or refuse to engage in unlawful activity. The statute defines narrow categories of protected activity and imposes strict procedural requirements.
The Fair Labor Standards Act governs minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping for covered employers. Missouri wage and hour law runs in parallel and sometimes imposes additional obligations.
Missouri is an at-will employment state. Under RSMo § 36.025 and Missouri common law, employment relationships can generally end at any time for any reason not prohibited by law. That default still leaves significant protection, because discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower protection, and contractual rights operate as exceptions to at-will termination.
Important Aspects of a Columbia Employment Case
Deadlines for Filing
Federal discrimination claims require a charge with the EEOC within 180 or 300 days of the adverse action, depending on whether the Missouri Commission on Human Rights has jurisdiction over the claim. Missouri Human Rights Act claims require a charge with the MCHR within 180 days. Whistleblower and wage claims carry their own limitations periods. Missing any one of these deadlines can end an otherwise strong case.
Evidence Preservation Matters From Day One
Text messages, emails, personnel files, and performance reviews often carry the weight in an employment case. How similarly situated coworkers were treated frequently determines whether a claim survives summary judgment. We help clients preserve and request records before the employer has time to clean up the file.
Federal and Missouri Claims Frequently Overlap
Many employment cases involve both federal and Missouri claims. Federal statutes provide larger damage caps and attorney fee shifting. Missouri law sometimes offers different procedural paths and burden-shifting standards. Selecting the right combination, and the right forum, shapes both the outcome and the timeline of a case.
Severance and Release Agreements
Employers frequently offer severance in exchange for a release of claims. Signing that release typically extinguishes employment claims, often permanently. Review by counsel before signing protects the employee’s legal rights and often improves the final terms.
Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements
Missouri enforces reasonable non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, but the enforceability depends on the agreement’s geographic scope, duration, and legitimate business interest served. Employees facing threats of enforcement, and employees asked to sign these agreements as a condition of hire or severance, benefit from legal review before acting.
Available Remedies
Depending on the claim, remedies can include back pay, front pay, compensatory damages, punitive damages, reinstatement, liquidated damages, injunctive relief, and attorney fees. Damage caps apply in some federal and state claims, and the caps can depend on employer size.
Contact TGH Litigation
Employment claims carry strict filing deadlines. Taking the right action quickly protects your legal options. At TGH Litigation, our mission is to provide outstanding legal representation to clients throughout Mid-Missouri and across the state. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with a Columbia employment attorney. We will review the facts of your case, identify the statutes that apply, and recommend next steps.