“A New Missouri Law Creates Steep Hurdles to Discrimination Lawsuits”, 12 Jul 2017

On July 1, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) signed…a bill that…requires victims to prove that discrimination motivated their boss or landlord to treat them unfairly. Previously, victims of discrimination could recover damages if bias was a “contributing factor.”…The legislation also places strict limits on the damages that plaintiffs can recover in discrimination suits.

The sponsor of the bill…owns a business that is currently facing a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination…The company denies the claims, but it has faced three prior complaints…

…[T]he U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)…said the new law will end liability for conduct that has a “disparate impact” on certain groups. Under disparate impact liability, landlords and employers can be held liable for things that have a disproportionate impact on certain groups, even if there’s no direct evidence of an intent to discriminate…

…Gov. Greitens also recently signed a bill making it harder for employees to prove discrimination in workers’ compensation cases…A Democratic legislator argued that the Missouri governor “continues to tilt the scales of justice…in favor of corporate wrongdoers and insurance companies.”…