Christine Poe, et al. v. Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar

Summary

The court grants Defendant Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar’s motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ Missouri Human Rights Act public-accommodation discrimination claims. The court concludes that Plaintiffs failed to allege exhaustion of administrative remedies and, alternatively, failed to plead that they belonged to a protected class or that protected-class status contributed to the alleged discrimination.

Holdings

1. The complaint was subject to dismissal because plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that they exhausted the MHRA's mandatory administrative remedies before filing suit.
2. The complaint failed to state an MHRA discrimination claim because plaintiffs did not plead that they were members of a protected class or identify the race on which the alleged discrimination was based.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the complaint was subject to dismissal because plaintiffs failed to allege exhaustion of the Missouri Human Rights Act's administrative remedies.
2. Whether the complaint stated a Missouri Human Rights Act public-accommodation discrimination claim when it did not identify plaintiffs' protected-class status or allege facts showing that protected-class status was a contributing factor in the alleged discrimination.

Disposition

dismissed