Missouri Revised Statutes Title XII. Public Health and Welfare § 213.101. Construction of statutes--abrogation of certain case law and jury instructions

1. The provisions of this chapter shall be construed to accomplish the purposes thereof and any law inconsistent with any provision of this chapter shall not apply. Nothing contained in this chapter shall be deemed to repeal any of the provisions of any law of this state relating to discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, ancestry, age, disability, or familial status.

2. The general assembly hereby expressly abrogates the case of McBryde v. Ritenour School District, 207 S.W.3d 162 (Mo.App. E.D. 2006), and its progeny as it relates to the necessity and appropriateness of the issuance of a business judgment instruction. In all civil actions brought under this chapter, a jury shall be given an instruction expressing the business judgment rule.

3. If an employer in a case brought under this chapter files a motion pursuant to rule 74.04 of the Missouri rules of civil procedure, the court shall consider the burden-shifting analysis of McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973), and its progeny to be highly persuasive for analysis in cases not involving direct evidence of discrimination.

4. The general assembly hereby expressly abrogates by this statute the cases of Daugherty v. City of Maryland Heights, 231 S.W.3d 814 (Mo. 2007) and its progeny as they relate to the contributing factor standard and abandonment of the burden-shifting framework established in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973).

5. The general assembly hereby expressly abrogates by this statute the holding in Hurst v. Kansas City Mo. School District, 437 S.W.3d 327 (Mo.App. W.D. 2014), that Missouri Approved Instruction 19.01 may be applied to actions brought pursuant to this chapter, and the holding in Thomas v. McKeever's Enterprises, Inc., 388 S.W.3d 206 (Mo.App. W.D. 2012), that juries shall not be instructed that plaintiffs bear the burden of establishing “but for” causation in actions brought pursuant to this chapter.

6. The general assembly hereby abrogates all Missouri-approved jury instructions specifically addressing civil actions brought under this chapter which were in effect prior to August 28, 2017.