ST. LOUIS — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced an agreement with the St. Louis Sheriff’s Office to resolve 13 charges of discrimination alleging race and age discrimination. The St. Louis Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the security of the courtrooms of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri and for serving court papers and eviction notices.

EEOC’s investigation of the charges found reasonable cause to believe that former Sheriff Alfred Montgomery systematically terminated a group of nearly a dozen white employees and two black employees without any assessment of job performance in January 2025.

Before taking office, Sheriff-elect Montgomery publicly announced in December 2024 that he could not wait to get rid of ‘top-heavy’ employees, indicating bias against older workers.

The charges also alleged that Montgomery targeted white employees for termination and a black employee who spoke out against unlawful discrimination of his long-time colleagues. As early as January 2025, Montgomery referred to the white employees he terminated as a ‘racist gang’ and according to a private suit filing, before the terminations occurred, Montgomery stated that he ‘could not wait to get rid of these white officers.’ After the terminated white employees filed EEOC charges, Montgomery fired a black employee and told his former deputy that ‘he needed to fire a black guy’ because he was being sued for discrimination against white employees. Each of these statements are direct evidence of race discrimination.

“The EEOC is firmly committed to enforcing our nation’s civil rights laws evenhandedly, without favor or prejudice, to ensure all workers are protected,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “Race discrimination is unlawful no matter who the target is, and employers must ensure their decisions are not based on bias or stereotype.”

The alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), which prohibits race and age discrimination, as well as unlawful retaliation.

Although the sheriff’s office denies the allegations and does not admit to the violation of any statute enforced by the EEOC, it agreed to engage in the pre-litigation conciliation process following the federal investigation.

The settlement resulted in a five-year term agreement requiring the St. Louis Sheriff’s Office to electronically post and distribute all newly created and/or revised employment policies in compliance with Title VII and the ADEA; provide training to its employees about their rights under Title VII and the ADEA; train human resources personnel and management who exercise decision-making authority; post a notice to employees about the resolution of the case and their rights under the laws enforced by EEOC; and report to the EEOC about its compliance with the terms of the 13 conciliation agreements.

While the agreements solely resolve the matters between the sheriff’s office and the EEOC, all rights and protections afforded by law are reserved by the agreements for the former employees who may choose to proceed to court.

“Public employers hold tremendous responsibility toward the communities they serve,” said David Davis, director for the EEOC’s St. Louis District. “This settlement shows that EEOC will take action to ensure accountability and compliance with federal law.”

For information about race discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation in the workplace under Title VII and the ADEA, please visit:

• Race Discrimination: https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination
• Age Discrimination: https://www.eeoc.gov/age-discrimination
• Retaliation: https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation

The EEOC’s St. Louis District Office has jurisdiction over discrimination charges and agency litigation in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and a portion of southern Illinois.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.