Former county attorney sues Jackson County for discrimination

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A former attorney in the Jackson County Counselor’s Office has filed suit against the county, claiming that her firing came after she filed complaints of gender and race discrimination and retaliation.

Tracey Chappell filed the suit June 24 in Jackson County Circuit Court. She worked primarily in a litigation role for the County Counselor’s office from April 2008 to August 2015, according to court records.

Chappell’s suit said her problems on the job began after she returned from maternity leave in January 2015.

She alleged her supervisor, County Counselor and former Jackson County Circuit Judge Stephen Nixon, reassigned her existing cases to other personnel following her return and assigned her to the mental health docket.

The docket is considered as the least desirable and lowest ranking of assignments in the office, the petition said.

After she returned from leave, Chappell said Nixon issued a negative evaluation of her and placed her on a performance improvement plan.

She said she had not received a negative evaluation prior or been placed on a performance improvement plan and the evaluation was unwarranted and contained false criticism of her.

Chappell believed her new assignment after leave and negative evaluation were a result of her pregnancy, use of maternity leave and race. Chappell is an African-American.

“Jackson County engages in and has engaged in a pattern and practice of discrimination and disparate treatment directed toward women, and particularly African-American women,” she alleged in the suit.

Brenda Hill, a county spokeswoman, declined to comment on the suit. She said the county does not comment on personnel matters.

Chappell’s suit also alleges Nixon promoted a less-experienced white, male colleague, Travis Willingham, to the department’s chief deputy counsel, a senior position in the department. He became her supervisor.

Willingham has been with the department since 2011 and she had “significantly greater litigation and trial experience” in comparison to him, the petition alleged.

She also believed the negative evaluation was an attempt by Nixon to justify promoting a less qualified person, according to the petition.

Chappell filed formal grievances for the discrimination, then also filed a grievance after she said she was treated with hostility, micromanaged and not included in communications relating to her work.

She was terminated after making two complaints of retaliation.

Anne Schiavone of Holman Schiavone in Kansas City is representing Chappell. She could not be reached for comment.

The case is Chappell v. Jackson County, Missouri, 1616-CV15430.