Black St. Joe woman won $8.5 million for discrimination at Spire. She’s suing again
Danielle McGaughy once sued her employer, Spire Energy, for workplace discrimination. She won — and now she’s taking the utility giant to court again.
After years of litigation and mudslinging, and being on the wrong end of a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, one would think Spire would clean up its act.
Apparently not.
Earlier this month, the Missouri Supreme Court cleared the latest legal hurdle preventing McGaughy from collecting more than $8.5 million in damages and legal fees stemming from a racial discrimination and retaliation lawsuit she filed in 2016.
The St. Joseph native is now owed more than $10 million with interest, according to her legal team.
“There have been a total of 11 judges who have ruled in my favor based on evidence introduced at trial,” McGaughy said.
Attorneys for McGaughy filed a separate lawsuit against Spire last month. McGaughy claims Spire failed to accommodate her chronic medical condition; discriminated against her based on race, age and sex; defamed her in the media after the original verdict and retaliated by denying her promotions.
She’s seeking a jury trial.
Toxic work environment at Spire
McGaughy, 49, has Crohn’s disease, an anti-inflammatory condition. She wants to share her story about how she stared hate in the face and still has to fight for respect.
The single mother of one has worked for the energy company since 2004. Half of that time has been spent battling high-paid lawyers in court intent on destroying her reputation at the behest of corporate bigwigs.
The nightmare began for McGaughy in 2008 when she transferred from the Kansas City office of the utility, then known as Missouri Gas Energy, to another location where she lives in St. Joseph. The shorter commute eased the burden of being a single parent.
St. Louis based-Laclede Gas Company purchased MGE in 2013 and in 2016 rebranded it as Spire.
In 2013, McGaughy filed an official complaint with higher-ups at MGE that she was being subjected to a toxic work environment in St. Joseph.
“They dragged my reputation through the mud,” McGaughy said.
Retaliation against McGaughy followed almost immediately, she testified. She was transferred back to MGE’s Kansas City office, making is harder for her to guide her son through school and activities.
Coworkers made her life a living hell, McGaughy testified during the 2018 trial. A trainer referred to her using the N-word, while others questioned her intelligence. On one occasion, McGaughy testified, she was accosted by three male colleagues in a conference room and berated with insults.
“You’re a nothing and a nobody,” one of the men screamed, according to court records.
Spire’s meaningless defense — claiming the incidents occurred before MGE’s sale to Laclede — is an obvious attempt to distance the company from illegal behavior.
By why continue to drag the case out? Spire unsuccessfully fought the St. Louis jury’s unanimous verdict at every step. All appeals have been now exhausted.
‘Tough lady’ passed over for promotion
McGaughy once worked at Jackson County Family Court and for COMBAT, the anti-violence initiative of the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office. She has a background as a paralegal, and completed a master’s degree in business management in 2015.
“She is a tough lady who has fought through some difficult times,” said her attorney, Sonal Bhatia.
She was passed over for numerous promotions before and after her trial. Some of the people named in the first complaint are still employed in prominent positions with Spire.
The ordeal is a testament to McGauchy’s resolve. She never thought to quit. She had a teenage son to take care of. She endured the abuse inside the office and in the courtroom — and came out victorious.
“We hope every employee will take this opportunity to think about what’s fair and right,” said E.E. Keenan, another lawyer representing McGaughy. “It’s not about press releases.”
The office where McGaughy works is still predominantly white, she alleges in the latest lawsuit. Several employees who made racist or disparaging comments about her are still employed there as well.
McGaughy forges ahead with a clear message to Black women and other minorities facing hate and discrimination in the workplace: “Stand your ground,” she said. “Keep your faith. Document everything. And keep your circle (of family and friends) tight.”
