Kansas City partners Steve Coronado, Paul Gordon, and Mark Katz recently obtained reversal of a jury verdict that awarded $4.175 million to a transgender student. In December 2021, a jury returned a verdict in favor of the transgender student who claimed he was discriminated against by a local school district. The student claimed he was of the male sex and was excluded from the male bathrooms and locker room because of his male sex. The school district maintained the student’s access to the male bathrooms and locker room was limited because he had female genitalia and was treated the same as all female students.
In post-trial briefing, the school district argued there was no evidence the student’s male sex was a contributing factor to the actions taken by the school district but rather the school district’s actions were based on the student having female genitalia. In an order dated May 27, the court agreed there was no evidence the student was treated in a discriminatory manner because of his male sex and reversed the jury’s verdict. The case will likely proceed to the Missouri Court of Appeals.
Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly reported on the court’s judgment notwithstanding the verdict in an article published June 6, 2022.
KCUR 89.3 | NPR in Kansas City also covered the court’s judgment in an online article published June 7, 2022.