Details have emerged on what led to Dr. Emily Neal’s departure in the fall of 2022
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Managing Editor
Over two years after her abrupt removal from STLCC, former Meramec Political Science Professor Emily Neal has filed a lawsuit against Meramec Dean Patrick Mallory, Meramec Campus President Feleecia Moore-Davis, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Andrew Langrehr and the college as a whole for employment discrimination and unlawful retaliation.
In court documents exclusively found on PACER and filed on Oct. 21, Dr. Neal alleges that the actions, omissions and decisions by these individuals and the institution were designed to cause and will continue to cause her to lose wages, compensation, entitlement and rights. She also alleges that their actions have caused her to suffer humiliation and harm to her reputation, emotional and mental injuries, pain and suffering and other adverse consequences.
Specifically, in the recent court filing, Neal alleges that the defendants engaged in the following actions:
- Targeting Dr. Neal with unwarranted discipline in violation of College policy and procedure Imposing discipline against Dr. Neal for conduct that does not trigger discipline for other employees
- Imposing discipline on Dr. Neal in excess of that authorized by College policy and procedure
- Removing Dr. Neal from the classroom contrary to College policy and procedure
- Placing Dr. Neal on administrative leave
- Recommending Dr. Neal for termination
- Terminating Dr. Neal’s employment
What happened to Dr. Neal?
Neal’s departure, as detailed in this lawsuit, came about after what she said were years of issues between her and administrative members. Neal, who had been employed by the college since 2009 and had previously served as President of the Faculty Union, had notably clashed with STLCC’s leadership over the years, and specifically during Chancellor Jeff Pittman’s ongoing tenure.
In this lawsuit, she details a few of those incidents, including an incident in 2017 where she received a written reprimand for comments she made during one of her classes about the college’s Board of Trustees, which she says was contrary to the college’s policies at the time. She argues that this incident was retaliatory and in response to her public opposition of the college’s “reduction in force” proposal, a hot-button issue for the college at the time.
Another retaliatory incident that she claims took place in 2021, where she claims she was reprimanded again for what the college alleged was “improper word choice and tone” in an email to a colleague regarding their unauthorized access to one of Neal’s online class spaces. In that email, she told the employee that if the issue was not addressed, she would file a union grievance, and the college accused her of threatening the other employee. The college’s reprimand was overturned before Neal’s official termination by an independent arbitrator, but Neal claims that her work environment progressively worsened after filing another grievance against Mallory regarding that incident.
Specifically, the one direct event that led to her removal were comments she made at an off-campus lunch in mid-August 2022 with members of her department regarding the activities of other administrators, including allegations of an affair between a high-level administrator and a subordinate and that another senior administrator permitted their child to bypass the waitlist for enrollment in a popular degree program.
While no other details were revealed for the latter allegation in the lawsuit, The Montage is actively investigating that particular claim.
Dr. Neal is silenced, removed from Meramec
After being placed on leave, Neal was forbidden from contacting her students, and faculty were discouraged from speaking about Neal’s comments any further, she claims in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit details that “On or about October 7, 2022, Dean Mallory informed Dr. Neal that he was recommending her for termination purportedly because of the statements she made at the lunch and the ‘continuing’ nature of her behavior. Specifically, Dr. Neal had two prior disciplinary matters against her in five years, one of which (concerning the April 2021 email) was not final at the time and ultimately overturned through the faculty grievance process by an independent arbitrator. On October 21, 2022, Campus President and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Feleecia Moore-Davis issued her recommendation for the termination of Dr. Neal’s employment.”
Neal was formally terminated by the college on Mar. 20, 2023, with its approval by all of the involved parties and Vice Chancellor Langrehr. In an attempt to overturn the recommended termination months beforehand, Neal explained in another grievance that “the College’s grounds for her termination were incorrect and pretextual, that the College relied on discipline that was clearly instituted in retaliation for Dr. Neal’s prior advocacy for her colleagues and her grievance for the inappropriate and overturned April 2021 discipline.”
She also alleged that the college “made her grievance process unusually difficult including but not limited to by setting events on short notice, setting events during College breaks or at other inconvenient times and attempting to conduct virtually events that are typically conducted in person. Unlike other grievances, the grievance process for faculty termination does not provide for review by an independent arbitrator.”
No date has been set for a trial as of yet. Neal is represented by Laura E. Schrick, a member of the Mathis, Marifian & Richter firm out of Belleville, Illinois.
STLCC’s General Counsel Amy Clendennen told The Montage that “We are not able to discuss details of pending litigation. However, St. Louis Community College is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect and will vigorously defend itself against these allegations.”
This is a developing story. Dr. Neal’s lawsuit can be viewed in its entirety by scanning the QR code below.
