A judge has signed off on the dismissal filed last week in one of the lawsuits against Jefferson City Public Schools, effectively approving the settlement the district recently reached with a former employee in that case.
Judge Robert Koffman of Cooper and Pettis counties' court on Monday approved a dismissal with prejudice that had been filed last Wednesday in the case of Gretchen Guitard versus Jefferson City Public Schools, Superintendent Larry Linthacum and Chief Financial and Operating Officer Jason Hoffman.
A dismissal with prejudice "bars the assertion of the same cause of action or claim against the same party," according to Missouri civil procedure rules.
The suit was filed in Cole County Court in March 2017, but the school district's attorneys had petitioned for a change of judge last May. The Missouri Supreme Court assigned Koffman in October.
The district had reached a $400,000 settlement with Guitard and her attorneys in her discrimination suit based on allegations of retaliation and gender discrimination. Guitard was the district's director of curriculum and staff services. She now is superintendent for the Jamestown C-1 School District, and her former position no longer exists at JCPS.
The dismissal of Guitard's case and the prohibition of her raising it again were conditions of the settlement. Another condition is no party agrees to any admission of wrongdoing or violation of applicable law.
Each party in the suit is expected to bear its own costs and attorneys' fees.
Guitard has received $250,000 directly from the school district as part of her settlement. JCPS' check to Guitard is dated March 21 - a week after she signed off on the settlement.
JCPS' insurer will pay Guitard another $45,000, and the Popham Law Firm P.C. that represented her will receive another $105,000 from the insurer.
The district still faces two more discrimination lawsuits - one in Cole County Court over allegations of retaliation and gender discrimination and another in federal court over allegations of gender pay disparity.