ST. LOUIS - John Chau filed a complaint on Aug. 3 in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County against the Curators of the University of Missouri for discriminatory failure to accommodate, disability discrimination by a political subdivision, violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and violation of the First Amendment.
According to the complaint, Chau was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2003. Chau went on to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in 2010 and enrolled in the College of Optometry at USML in 2018.
In the fall of 2019, Chau began experiencing manic episodes that he discussed with the CoO's Assistant Director for Student Conduct and Community Standards Kasey Fraser-Smith and Director of Student and Alumni Services Nick Palisch, the suit says. In 2020, Chau says he again began having manic episodes.
Chau allegedly was called in by Julie Dekinder, the CoO's Director of Academic Programs, due to Chau's social media posts that other students had brought to the administration's attention. Chau alleges that he was not able to explain himself or his illness and was expelled from UMSL.
Chau is represented by Daniel J. Rhodes of The Rhoads Firm, LLC. The defendant recently removed the case to federal court.
Circuit Court of St. Louis County case number 4:21-cv-01256-HEA