Lawsuit alleges Missouri House staffer was fired for complaining about lack of masks

A former employee of the Missouri House of Representatives filed a lawsuit this week alleging he was fired for raising concerns to legislative leadership about the lack of a statehouse mask mandate.

Tad Mayfield had worked as a nonpartisan staffer for the Missouri House since 2011. His last full year of employment was 2019, where he earned roughly $50,000.

His lawsuit, which was filed Monday in Cole County Circuit Court, centers on complaints he made to his supervisor — and later to legislative leaders in both the House and Senate — about the fact that there is no requirement that lawmakers, staff and visitors wear a mask while in the Capitol to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Mayfield believes he was fired because he “exercised his rights guaranteed by the First Amendment by speaking out before all of the defendants upon matters of public concern.”

Read more: https://missouriindependent.com/2021/03/05/lawsuit-alleges-missouri-house-staffer-was-fired-for-complaining-about-lack-of-masks/