Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-14-03832/USCOURTS-ca8-14-03832-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 442
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights Employment
Cause of Action: 

---

United States Court of Appeals

For the Eighth Circuit

___________________________

No. 14-3832

___________________________

Cheri Rodgers

lllllllllllllllllllll Plaintiff - Appellant

v.

Curators of the University of Missouri System, in Official Capacity as a state

entity; The Student Electronic Media Association at UMSL, in Private and State

Capacity; Orinthia Montague, Individually and in her official capacity as

Associate Vice Provost of Student Affairs and UM-System’s Designated Primary

Officer; Curtis Coonrod, individually and in his official capacity as UMSL’s Vice

Provost of Student Affairs; Glen Hahn Cope, individually and in his official

capacity as UMSL’s University Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic

Affairs; Deborah Burris, individually and in her official capacity as UMSL’s Chief

Diversity Officer and Director of UMSL’s Office of Equal Opportunity; PhD

Deborah Nobel-Triplett, individually and in her official capacity as the

UM-System’s Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs; Miriam Huffman,

individually and in her official capacities as Student Mediator and Director of

Student Life at UMSL; D’andre Braddix, individually and in his official capacities

as UMSL Vice Provost Assistant, UM-System’s Designated Primary Officer at

UMSL, Asst. Dean Student Conduct and Community Standards, Student Court

Advisor, and Student Life Project Support Specialist; Helen Ward, individually

and in her official capacity as Administrative Assistant to UMSL Office of Student

Affairs; Tanisha Stevens, individually and in her official capacity as Student

Advocate of UMSL’s Office of Academic Affairs; Charles Granger, individually

and in his official capacity as a Faculty Member and Student Advisor at UMSL

Department of Biology; Marcel Bechtholdt, individually and in his official

capacities as an UMSL Faculty Professor, UMSL’s Information Tech, Services

System Administrator, and SEMPA Faculty Advisor; Craig Robinson, individually

and in his official capacities as SEMPA Treasurer and UMSL’s Supervisor of

Environmental Health & Safety Dept.; Keith Robinson, individually and in his

Appellate Case: 14-3832 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/10/2015 Entry ID: 4315038 
official capacities as SEMPA Station Manager and UMSL’s Information

Technology Services Systems Administrator; Frank Schmidt, Officer, individually

and in his official capacities as a Missouri State Police Officer and UMSL Campus

Police Officer; Brandon Burton, Officer, individually and in his official capacities

as a Missouri State Police Officer and UMSL Campus Police Officer; Ethan Chou,

individually and in his official capacities as Chief Justice of UMSL Student Court

and as UMSL’s authorized decision maker; Ryan Ordway, individually and in his

official capacities as SEMPA’s Outgoing Vice President, UMSL TV GM, and

UMSL’s authorized decision maker; Tiffany Axton, individually and in her

official capacities as SEMPA 2009 V.P., SEMPA 2010 President, and UMSL’s

authorized decision maker; Steven Engelmeyer, individually and in his official

capacities as SEMPA’s past 2008 President, a 2009-2010 Station Executive, and

UMSL’s authorized decision maker; John Edwards, individually and in his official

capacities as SEMPA’s Sports Director and as UMSL’s authorized decision maker

lllllllllllllllllllll Defendants - Appellees

____________

Appeal from United States District Court 

for the Eastern District of Missouri - St. Louis

____________

 Submitted: September 4, 2015

Filed: September 10, 2015

[Unpublished]

____________

Before SHEPHERD, BYE, and KELLY, Circuit Judges. 

____________

PER CURIAM.

-2-

Appellate Case: 14-3832 Page: 2 Date Filed: 09/10/2015 Entry ID: 4315038 
Cheri Rodgers appeals the district court’s dismissal of her civil action. Upon

1

careful de novo review, see Yankton Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Dep’t of Health & Human

Servs., 533 F.3d 634, 639 (8th Cir. 2008), we conclude, for the reasons explained in

the district court’s thorough September 29, 2014 Memorandum and Order, that res

judicata bars Rodgers’s claims brought under federal law and the Missouri Human

Rights Act (MHRA), see Banks v. Int’l Union Elec., Elec., Technical, Salaried &

Mach. Workers, 390 F.3d 1049, 1052-53 (8th Cir. 2004). We further conclude that

the court was within its discretion to decline to exercise supplemental jurisdiction

over Rodgers’s state-law tort claims for intentional and negligent infliction of

emotional distress. See Johnson v. City of Shorewood, Minn., 360 F.3d 810, 819 (8th

Cir. 2004). As to Rodgers’s remaining arguments on appeal, the court did not abuse

its discretion in denying reconsideration, see United States v. Metro. St. Louis Sewer

Dist., 440 F.3d 930, 933 (8th Cir. 2006), and the newly raised complaint regarding

judicial bias fails, see Fletcher v. Conoco Pipe Line Co., 323 F.3d 661, 663-65 (8th

Cir. 2003).

Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s judgment, although we modify it to

clarify that dismissal of the state-law tort claims for intentional and negligent

infliction of emotional distress is without prejudice, see Labickas v. Ark. State Univ.,

78 F.3d 333, 335 (8th Cir. 1996) (per curiam), consistent with the district court’s

rulings in its Memorandum and Order. The pending motion is denied.

______________________________

The Honorable John A. Ross, United States District Judge for the Eastern 1

District of Missouri.

-3-

Appellate Case: 14-3832 Page: 3 Date Filed: 09/10/2015 Entry ID: 4315038