City of Columbia, Missouri Missouri Cases

Colleen Spurlock sued the City of Columbia, Missouri, her former employer, alleging retaliation under Missouri's public-employee whistleblower statute. The trial court dismissed her petition with prejudice. The appellate court reversed, holding that the City lacked standing to challenge the statute's constitutionality on vagueness grounds and that Spurlock had sufficiently pleaded facts to establish a claim under the whistleblower statute regarding disclosure, abuse of authority, and disciplinary action.

Rob Sanders appealed the termination of his employment as a police officer by the City of Columbia, challenging the City Manager's administrative determination. The trial court conducted a trial de novo under section 536.150 of the Missouri Administrative Procedure Act, affirming the City Manager's decision. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's judgment, finding no error in its application of the de novo review standard or its conclusion that substantial evidence supported the termination, and further held that the relevant City Ordinance was not unconstitutionally vague.