Joseph L. Green of the law firm of Leritz, Plunkert & Bruning, PC represented Rhonda Entwistle of St. Peters, Missouri and Megan Drury of St. Louis County in a lawsuit against Missouri Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) and Mr. Mike McCrary of Columbia, Missouri. The Jury allowed justice for both Rhonda Entwistle and Megan Drury.
Rhonda Entwistle had brought a lawsuit against Missouri Youth Soccer Association for wrongful discharge. Megan Drury had brought a lawsuit against MYSA for breach of promise and against Mike McCrary for sexual battery. In the lawsuit filed by Rhonda Entwistle against Missouri Youth Soccer Association (MYSA), she charged that members of the MYSA Board of Directors had intimidated and caused undue stress resulting in her loss of employment for being a witness in a hearing that had occurred in January 2001 regarding a sexual harassment incident between Mr. Mike McCrary and Megan Drury in 1996. Mike McCrary had resigned from the Board of Directors in 1996 after the incident occurred. It was Megan Drury’s understanding that Mike McCrary would not be allowed to return to the Board of Directors of MYSA if she did not pursue any further action.
However, Mr. McCrary returned to the MYSA Board of Directors in 1999. Megan became aware of Mike McCrary returning to the Board of Directors in August of 2000 and filed a complaint to Geoff Butler, President of the MYSA Board of Directors in 2000. Mr. Butler was not on the Board of Directors in 1996. Mr. Butler took action to investigate the incident. There were four sitting members on the current MYSA Board of Directors that where present at the time of the incident in 1996. Further investigation of the Mike McCrary incident by Geoff Butler resulted in a hearing that was held in January 2001 in which the Central District of MYSA where Mike McCrary was the District Commissioner.
The hearing panel found Mike McCrary guilty of sexual misconduct but did not feel that Mike McCrary should be required to leave the Board of Directors of MYSA. Mr. Butler felt that this was a potential liability to the MYSA organization to have someone that had been found guilty of sexual misconduct to be a member of the Board of Directors for the MYSA especially since MYSA is a youth organization. He pursued the matter further. It appeared that this upset some members who supported Mr. McCrary.
Rhonda Entwistle was required to testify in the hearing regarding the sexual misconduct that had occurred and had stated that she was concerned about intimidation from various Board Members, but she did the right thing to protect the members and youth players of the MYSA organization. Due to medical reasons brought on by their actions she was required to leave work for a period of time on medical leave when the MYSA Board of Directors decided to eliminate her position.
On Friday, June 9, 2006, Rhonda Entwistle and Megan Drury received justice from the Jury. Rhonda Entwistle was awarded actual damages in the amount of $75,000.00 dollars and punitive damages in the amount of $75,000.00 dollars against Missouri Youth Soccer Association (MYSA). Megan Drury was awarded damages in the amount of $30,000.00 dollars against Missouri Youth Soccer Association as well as actual damages against Mike McCrary in the amount of $20,000.00 dollars and punitive damages against Mike McCrary in the amount of $40,000.00 dollars.
