UPDATE:Second Harvest Named in Discrimination Suit, Jury Trial Scheduled

Jury trial is set for January in an employee discrimination case against Second Harvest Community Food bank.

A pretrial conference is set for January 2nd and the jury trial is scheduled for January 21st in Buchanan County Court.

The discrimination case named Second Harvest, former CEO David Davenport and Chief Operating Officer Tamera Grubb as defendants. It was filed in July by Linda Laderoute of St Joseph.

The plaintiff, Laderoute, claims she was passed over for a younger woman for the position of Chief Operating Officer at Second Harvest. Laderoute is 64 years old. Grubb, described as “in her thirties,” got the job instead.

Laderoute insists that the hiring violated the Missouri Human Rights Act and Second Harvest policies to promote from within. She also claims that she was demoted, had her job duties reduced, her complaints were not addressed, and she was fired, all because of her age, and as retaliation for her opposing discrimination on the basis of age.

In court documents, Laderoute demands damages, including punitive damages, in excess of 25 thousand dollars. The defendants deny wrongdoing in the hiring of Grubb.

Davenport’s term as CEO came to an end Wednesday, a day before a case review was scheduled in front of Buchanan County Judge Patrick Robb.

Second Harvest board members would not comment on his departure. Davenport called it a crossroads of where the organization is and where it needs to go. A CEO who sees a different future from what the board of directors sees must step aside so the board can drive its own vision, Davenport said.

A search for his replacement is expected to begin soon.

Davenport was also arrested in mid-October for failure to appear, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol online arrest records.

Davenport was hired to Second Harvest in 2011 after serving as the CEO of Capitol Food Bank in Texas.