ST. LOUIS - A former employee of Dent County, Missouri, has filed a lawsuit claiming that the county discriminated against him on the basis of his age.
James "Jim" Huitt claims his supervisors engaged in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Missouri Human Rights Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. That included refusing to provide reasonable accommodation for his disability, discriminatory behavior, and creating hostile work environment.
Huitt, a 62-year-old who lives in Arkansas, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against Dent County, Missouri, citing allegations of discrimination and failure to accommodate. He says Dent County failed to participate in a good-faith interactive process concerning reasonable accommodations for his disability, and he also alleges discriminatory conduct and the creation of a hostile work environment based on his perceived disability and age.
In his lawsuit, Huitt detailed numerous incidents of his supervisors, specifically County Commissioner Larson, engaging in discriminatory behavior, including inappropriate comments and actions. Huitt was allegedly denied reasonable accommodations for his cardiovascular condition, leading to hazardous working conditions and inadequate equipment. Huitt also claims that he was unfairly restricted from transferring to another district despite meeting the necessary qualifications. Huitt claims that his supervisors accused him of failing to complete assigned tasks and denied him access to safety measures provided to other employees.
Huitt goes on to claim that his supervisors disregarded his concerns and failed to address the discriminatory conduct, leading to the culmination of events resulting in his termination. Huitt asserts that his termination was unjust and was used as a pretext to justify the alleged discriminatory actions of his supervisors.
Huitt is seeking a judgment for compensatory and punitive damages for emotional distress, plus interest, attorney fees, court costs and any other relief the court deems proper. He is represented in this case by attorney Jeremy D. Hollingshead of Hollingshead & Dudley in Town & Country.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri case number 4:23-CV-01252