Joplin School District pays over quarter of a million to settle lawsuit

The Joplin School District paid more than a quarter of a million dollars to settle a lawsuit filed against it by an Atlanta construction firm, according to a story in this morning's Joplin Globe. The news that the lawsuit was settled was first revealed several days ago by KOAM.

Court documents show that the case was settled, but did not give any specific amounts:

U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner has issued an order dismissing the lawsuit of Urban Metropolitan Development LLC from U.S. District Court in Kansas City. The order states that the lawsuit’s claims were settled.

“Joplin Schools paid $276,000 in exchange for a full release and dismissal of UMD’s lawsuit, which included claims alleging both breach of contract and civil rights violations,” said Doug Harpool, the Springfield attorney who represents Urban Metropolitan, in an email response to Globe questions about the settlement. “Some of the settlement money went to workers to bring their wages to the level the state claimed was required by Missouri’s prevailing wage law. Some went to a bonding company for UMD, some went directly to UMD and some went to my firm for attorney fees.”

School Superintendent C.J. Huff referred questions about the terms of the settlement to the district’s attorney, John Nicholas. He did not return calls asking for the information.