By Greg Grisolano
news@joplinglobe.com
JOPLIN, Mo. —
A Joplin woman is alleging racial, gender and disability discrimination, and retaliation in a lawsuit against her former employer, the Joplin School District.
Dawn R. Combs, 45, is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit in Jasper County Circuit Court.
The school district is denying all allegations, and its attorney this week asked the court to dismiss the suit.
Combs, who is black, is alleging that the district violated her civil rights and wrongfully fired her on Jan. 21, 2009, from her position as a cook, which she had held since 2006.
Combs’ suit alleges that she was passed over for a cook’s position for which she applied in January 2009, and that those actions ran contrary to the district’s policy of promoting based on seniority. The district hired a white man for a cook’s position, the suit alleges.
Combs’ suit states that she had filed a workers’ compensation claim for an on-the-job injury and was under medical care at the time of her discharge.
Combs filed a complaint on July 15, 2009, with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. Her suit states that the commission did not complete an investigation of the discrimination charges, but did grant her request for letters to proceed with a civil trial in May of this year.
According to the petition, Combs has requested a jury trial.
Combs’ attorney, Wesley Barnum, did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday.
Combs did not return a message left with a family member.
Joplin school Superintendent C.J. Huff said the district had no comment on the suit.
“Litigation is pending,” he said Wednesday. “We’re not in a position to talk about it at this point.”
Co-defendant
The suit also names Rick Kenkel, food services director for the Joplin School District, as a co-defendant.
