What are my rights against workplace harassment in Missouri?

1. Federal Floor. Title VII (15+ employees) and Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57 (1986), set the federal floor.

2. State Statute & Agency. The Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA), Mo. Rev. Stat. § 213.010 et seq., is enforced by the Missouri Commission on Human Rights (MCHR). MHRA covers employers with 6 or more employees (§ 213.010(8)).

3. Standard for Hostile Work Environment. Missouri follows the federal "severe or pervasive" standard. SB 43 (2017) further required that the protected trait be "the motivating factor" rather than the prior "contributing factor" test from Daugherty v. City of Maryland Heights, 231 S.W.3d 814 (Mo. 2007).

4. Protected Categories. Race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, and age (between 40 and 70) (§ 213.055). Missouri does not protect sexual orientation or gender identity statewide; federal protection via Bostock.

5. Quid Pro Quo vs Hostile Environment. Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 U.S. 775 (1998), and Burlington v. Ellerth, 524 U.S. 742 (1998), control.

6. Employer Liability. SB 43 eliminated individual supervisor liability under MHRA. Employers face strict liability for supervisor harassment with tangible action; affirmative defense available otherwise.

7. Mandatory Training. Missouri has no statewide harassment-training mandate.

8. Filing Deadline. EEOC: 300 days. MCHR: 180 days (§ 213.075). MHRA court action: 2 years from the harassing act, but no more than 90 days after right-to-sue (§ 213.111).

9. NDA Restrictions. Missouri has not enacted a broad statewide ban on sexual-harassment NDAs; federal Speak Out Act (2022) voids certain pre-dispute NDAs.

This is legal information, not legal advice.