civil lawsuits

Utah Tech University recently completed an investigative report into allegations of misconduct by its former president, Richard “Biff” Williams. Allegations of harassment and retaliation at Utah Tech were made widely public in a lawsuit filed Nov. 7, 2024.

Content Warning: This report describes frank allegations of sexual assault against children, as described in publicly-available court papers. In Missouri, those who suspect child abuse or neglect may call the state hotline provided by the Department of Social Services at 1-800-392-3738. For survivors who need support, call 1-800-656-HOPE or chat at online.rainn.org to reach advocates with RAINN, a large nationwide support organization.

A resident of the Chimney Hills neighborhood in southeast Springfield has filed a lawsuit against City Clerk Anita Cotter linked to City Council's recent approval of a subdivision plat near Mimosa Street and Arcadia Avenue — and Cotter's rejection of a voter signature petition trying to block the proposed residential development.

That’s according to papers filed in federal court this week.

Lawmakers are once again pushing for Missouri to join more than 30 other states that have enacted protections against frivolous litigation aimed at silencing free speech.

As KSMU reported previously, HB 709 was prompted by abuse scandal linked to Kanakuk sports camp in the Branson area. The bill would essentially ban nondisclosure agreements as a tool to resolve civil lawsuits over child sexual abuse.

People who say they survived sex abuse at Kanakuk camp near Branson spoke out at a hearing in Jefferson City last week. A bill proposed by an Ozarks lawmaker would restrict nondisclosure agreements signed to settle court cases between sexual abuse survivors and perpetrators.

In the wake of child sex abuse incidents at southwest Missouri’s Kanakuk Christian sports camp, Branson-area lawmakers are filing bills in the Missouri House and Senate aimed at making it easier to file lawsuits seeking damages from perpetrators.

Branson’s Kanakuk sports camp is facing another civil lawsuit, this time from a plaintiff who alleges he was sexually abused when he attended Kanakuk as a kid — and says the camp committed fraud by concealing the actions of a predatory counselor.

District 158 Representative Scott Cupps helps write the state budget. He didn’t appear in Boone County Court on Monday for a civil lawsuit hearing.