A jury’s verdict in favor of an employee whom her former employer retaliated against for filing a workers’ compensation claim in violation of section 287.780 should be affirmed, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District ruled on October 28, additionally affirming a sanctions award against the employer.
Kathleen Hicks began working for Commercial Metals Company as a rebar bender operator in January 2017. Her full-time duties included bending, stacking and bundling fabricated reinforced metal bars and regularly lifting 50-100 pounds.
From the time she started, one of the objectives at CMC was “no recordables and no lost time,” which Hicks interpreted as not getting hurt or, in the case of injury, “suck it up and keep going.”
On Jan. 15, 2018, Hicks was struck on the right shoulder and right side of her head and knocked unconscious while operating a new piece of equipment that was being tested at her workstation. When she regained consciousness, her ears were ringing, she had face pain, neck pain, pain along the right side of her body and she was unable to move her right arm.
The shop superintendent put Hicks in the backseat of his truck and drove her to the emergency room. He stayed in the exam room with Hicks for all medical evaluations, in spite of being asked multiple times to leave the room.
When Hicks was discharged, he took her to the company clinic to be drug tested.
The next day, the shop superintendent picked Hicks up from her home and took her to the company...
Denton Loudermill Jr. watched every Kansas City Chiefs game at his sister's house with his family. The Kansas native and his late father were diehard fans. So, when the 2024 Super Bowl champions' ...