Joni Thome and Frances Baillon represented Ms. Bahr, a former employee of Capella University, who filed suit against the university asserting a claim for reprisal discrimination under Minnesota Human Rights Act, after the university terminated her employment. Capella brought a motion to dismiss the case for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. The District Court granted the motion finding that Bahr was required to show that the underlying matter about which she complained was in fact discriminatory and that she had not done so. Bahr appealed.     

The Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed for Bahr, holding that: 

(1) The plaintiff/employee claiming reprisal must allege sufficient facts to support a claim of a good-faith, reasonable belief that the employment practice opposed was discriminatory, and   

(2) the plaintiff/former employee’s complaint set forth objectively reasonable grounds upon which to base her subjective belief that university was treating former employee’s African-American co-worker differently on basis of race.   

Click here to read the MN Court of Appeals’ opinion in Bahr v. Capella