A St. Louis jury awarded a former high school guidance counselor $6.14 million for being unfairly targeted by St. Louis Public Schools and a vice principal.

The plaintiff, Ron Spivey, claimed he received positive reviews for most of his 14-year tenure at Soldan International Studies High School. But during the 2013-2014 school year, when ChanTam Trinh became vice principal, Spivey began getting negative reviews and being placed on performance improvement plans.

According to Julianne Germinder of TGH Litigation, who represented Spivey, his female colleagues were not held to the same standards.

“He was the only one who was being criticized, put on performance improvement plans and ultimately terminated for doing the thing that everybody was doing,” Germinder said.

Spivey complained to the district when he was placed on an improvement plan he believed was designed for him to fail. The district did not investigate, he claimed, and he failed. He then requested a transfer which was eventually denied. He was then fired.

The district argued that Spivey was ineligible for a transfer. But Spivey’s attorneys said the district had previously approved similar transfers.

The jury returned verdicts in favor of Spivey on his claims of gender discrimination and retaliation against the district and his claim of retaliation against Trinh. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Trinh and the district on Spivey’s claim of a hostile work environment based on gender and in favor of the district on Spivey’s claim of age discrimination.

Germinder said the district seemed unwilling to acknowledge that they should have looked into Spivey’s complaints.

“And I sort of think that’s why the jury handed the verdict they did,” she said. “It was the only way to get the school district to pay attention.”

Vincent D. Reece of Mickes O’Toole, who represented the St. Louis Public School District and Trinh, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

RELATED: Click to search for and submit your Verdicts & Settlements

$6.14 million verdict

Employment

Breakdown: $940,000 in compensatory damages; $5,200,000 in punitive damages

Venue: St. Louis Circuit Court

Case Number/Date: 1822-CC11868/June 27, 2023

Judge: Paula Bryant

Last Pretrial Demand: $700,000

Last Pretrial Offer: $15,000

Caption: Ron Spivey v. St. Louis Public Schools and ChanTam Trinh

Plaintiff’s Attorneys: Julianne Germinder and Tony Relys, TGH Litigation, Columbia

Defendants’ Attorneys: Vincent D. Reece and Melanie A. Renken, Mickes O’Toole, St. Louis

i