Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / May 2, 2023
Greg Halderman vs. City of Sturgeon, Missouri and Tyler Patterson
Greg Halderman, the City of Sturgeon's Chief of Police, was terminated and sued the City for wrongful discharge and Alderman Tyler Patterson for tortious interference. The circuit court found Halderman's initial termination unlawful for lack of a contested-case hearing and a jury awarded him damages. On appeal, the court affirmed the circuit court's finding that the 2017 termination was unlawful and upheld the wrongful-discharge judgment against the City. However, it reversed the judgment against Patterson, concluding that an alderman is not a third party to the city's employment contract for tortious interference purposes. The court also granted Halderman's request for appellate attorney's fees against the City and remanded for their calculation.