R.M.A. Missouri Cases

R.M.A., a transgender student, sued the Blue Springs R-IV School District under the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA) for denying access to male restrooms and locker rooms. After a jury verdict in R.M.A.'s favor, the circuit court granted the School District's motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV). The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed the JNOV, holding that the term "sex" in the MHRA's public accommodation provision refers to biological classification as male or female, and R.M.A. failed to present evidence of discrimination based on male sex.

R.M.A., a transgender male teenager, sued the Blue Springs R-IV School District under the Missouri Human Rights Act for sex discrimination after being denied access to boys' restrooms and locker rooms. The jury found in R.M.A.'s favor, awarding compensatory and punitive damages, but the trial court granted the School District's motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV) and conditionally granted a new trial. The appellate court reversed the trial court's judgment, holding that R.M.A. presented a submissible case of sex discrimination based on sex stereotyping and that the trial court erred in granting JNOV and a new trial. The case was remanded with instructions to reinstate the jury's verdict and determine appellate attorney fees.