JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KY3) – On Friday, attorneys for Dana Miller, clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives, filed a lawsuit against Speaker of the House Rep. Dean Plocher, his chief of staff, and former speaker Rod Jetton, and the House of Representatives.

The suit stems from alleged retaliation to which Miller was subjected following her opposition to Plocher’s plan to award a state contract for new constituent management services.

“Exactly a year ago yesterday, I found myself facing the biggest challenge of my career when I refused to support awarding a contract for constituent management services for a number of legal and ethical reasons,” Miller said. “I also became aware of wrongdoing that was occurring within the highest levels of House leadership. I then did my duty as Clerk of the House to report the matters.”

Miller alleged other instances of concerning behavior from Plocher, including an instance where he repeatedly referred to “stupid Republican women” as “an invasive species.”

The suit claims Miller put her concerns aside, believing that the House Ethics Committee was the appropriate venue for such matter to be addressed.

After months of investigation by the House Ethics Committee, the panel ultimately voted to dismiss Miller’s complaint, despite strong objection from Republican Ethics Committee chair Hannah Kelley, R-Mountain Grove.

“What I have discovered is that the very mechanism that is designed to find the truth has failed,” Miller said. “You have heard the chair and vice chair speak of obstruction that limited their ability to complete a full and thorough investigation.”

After the complaint was dismissed on April 29, Plocher, flanked by dozens of House Republicans, claimed victory.

“From the outset of this investigation, I’ve maintained my innocence,” Plocher told reporters after the hearing. “The Ethics Committee has finally reached the very same conclusion that I offered everybody back in November, and they vindicated me.”

Miller claims what Plocher called “vindication” was actually an abandonment of a system of accountability based on “good faith.”

Miller also claimed that a toxic environment remains in the House even after the end of the legislative session.

“Where House of Representatives staff live in fear of retaliation, whether that be administrative staff, caucus staff, or those who cooperated with the House Ethics Committee for simply doing their duty of reporting wrongdoing, testifying truthfully and seeking to ensure that our government is run with the honesty and integrity with which it was designed We are better than this.”

Plocher’s office did not immediately respond to the bureau’s request for comment. Plocher is currently running for Secretary of State.

The Missouri House of Representatives Communications Office said, per policy, it doesn’t provide a comment related to ongoing litigation.

To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com

Copyright 2024 KY3. All rights reserved.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A KCTV5 news anchor who came into your living room every night for decades is being inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

It’s an honor given to those who make a significant contribution to the fields of radio and television broadcasting, an honor that Anne Peterson certainly deserves.

The youngest main female anchor in the nation in 1979, Peterson came to KCTV (then KCMO) at the age of 22 and joined veteran anchor Wendall Anschutz on the desk. Proving herself time and again, Peterson and Anschutz made history as the longest-running anchor duo in the country, working together for 22 years.

“This was the golden age of broadcasting,” Peterson reflected. “I am forever blessed that I was part of it.”

The Hyatt Regency walkway collapse, previewing the royal wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles and reporting from the 1981 presidential inauguration of Ronald Reagan are just some of the highlights from her illustrious career.

Her tenure with KCTV ended in 2003, but she left behind a legacy that will be memorialized forever in Missouri broadcasters’ elite club. Her name will reside alongside legendary broadcasters like Walter Cronkite, Bob Costas, Rush Limbaugh, and, of course, her late co-anchor Wendall Anschutz.

“I just want to say thank you Kansas City,” she said. “Thank you so much for all your love, your support, your encouragement and embracing me throughout the years, since 1979 until today.”

Copyright 2024 KCTV. All rights reserved.