EEOC files complaint against Missouri convention

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Officials of the Missouri Baptist Convention say they have received a formal complaint from the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of a former employee. Former controller Carol Kaylor notified the EEOC of her intent to file a complaint after the convention’s executive director, David Clippard, fired her in April. An EEOC representative conducted a telephone interview with Kaylor on June 10.

Michael Berry, Kaylor’s attorney, said in June the complaint likely would charge the convention with demeaning Kaylor on the job. “Our basic contention is that she was forced out of her position because she opposed practices that were demeaning to her and to other employees of the Missouri Baptist Convention,” he explained at the time. Clippard claims Kaylor was terminated with just cause.

Neither Kaylor nor her attorney will reveal the specific charges outlined in the formal complaint, which is directed against the convention as Kaylor’s employer rather than against an individual. The EEOC handles a wide range of employment issues,” Royston said.