Burger Law has successfully paid 15,000 hard-working Missouri Corrections Officers the full settlement proceeds from a landmark $117.5 Million settlement with The State of Missouri. This remedies the State’s refusal to pay officers for pre- and post-shift activities, which Burger Law had a Missouri trial court, a Missouri Jury and the Missouri Supreme court declare unlawful.
"It's a great result for these hard working and dedicated officers," Burger said "We settled the claim for more than the $113.7 Million verdict and judgment; to complete this case, get the officers their money and permanently change the system is a great victory. Every officer on every shift gets paid an additional 15 minutes of time that was uncompensated before.”
The case was tried in Cole County in 2018, where the jury returned a $113.7 Million dollar verdict, the second largest in the state that year. The verdict was appealed, and ultimately the Missouri Supreme Court partially vacated the judgment, remanding the case back to the trial courts for a new trial in 2021 to “recalculate damages.”
After nearly a year of additional litigation and preparation for another trial, Burger Law secured a settlement package for the officers for $117.5 Million, the second highest settlement in the state in 2022. This settlement not only secured money for back pay for uncompensated work of these brave prison guards, but ensures that they will be compensated fairly for years to come.
Of that settlement amount, $49.5 Million was designated for settlement of back-pay to the officers who have worked in the prisons since 2007. Payouts began in November 2022, with the final round of payments being disbursed in April 2023. By September 2023, all payments were distributed, and the class of over 15,000 Missouri Corrections Officers have been paid in full for this portion of the settlement. Moving forward, officers will receive an additional 15 minutes of paid time per shift for at least the next 8 years, totaling an estimated $62 Million.
"This settlement is a victory for the hard-working men and women Corrections Officers who only asked to get fully paid for their difficult work around incarcerated felons." said plaintiff attorney Gary Burger. "I am proud to have been able to represent these brave officers to fix the Department of Corrections' dishonorable system.”
For more information about this story or to speak to us about your own case, call Burger Law at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online contact form.