Judge Orders Missouri to Repay Former Rep. Price $22,492 After Ruling on Censure
A Cole County judge ruled the Missouri House lacked authority to dock former Rep. Wiley Price’s pay after his 2021 censure, ordering the state to repay more than $22,000.
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI — A Cole County judge has ordered Missouri state officials to repay former state Representative Wiley Price more than $22,000, ruling the House lacked lawful authority to impose and collect a financial penalty as part of his 2021 censure.
Circuit Judge Brian Stumpe ruled last week that Price was entitled to recover the full $22,492.25 withheld from his legislative pay and permanently barred state officials from making any further deductions tied to the House ethics case against him. The defendants in the case were Joseph Engler, in his official capacity as chief clerk of the Missouri House, and Kenneth J. Zellers, in his official capacity as commissioner of the Missouri Office of Administration.
Lawsuit Challenges House Authority
The decision represents a victory for Price, a St. Louis Democrat who filed suit in 2024 arguing the House changed its rules after the fact to allow a monetary sanction and had no authority to collect it through the state payroll system. Price’s legal challenge centered on whether the House had proper authority to enforce financial penalties through payroll deductions.
The case stemmed from discipline imposed after a House Ethics Committee investigated allegations that Price lied about a sexual encounter with an intern and retaliated against a staffer who reported it.
Ethics Investigation Details
The investigation began in January 2020 when the House received a report alleging Price violated a rule prohibiting lawmakers from sexual or romantic relationships with employees or interns. The complaint was referred to the House Ethics Committee for investigation.
During testimony to the committee, Price’s legislative assistant claimed he admitted to her that he had sex with an intern. She alleged that after she informed Price she was required under House rules to report the incident, he threatened to fire her in an attempt to keep her quiet.
Both Price and the intern denied the sexual encounter took place. Price claimed he had already told the legislative assistant he would be replacing her prior to her making the allegations. He admitted lying to a House investigator but said he told the truth in closed-door testimony to the ethics committee.
Committee Action and Aftermath
In December 2020, the ethics committee — composed of five Republicans and five Democrats — completed its inquiry and voted unanimously to recommend censure. The House subsequently voted to censure Price in January 2021 but did not vote to expel him from office.
The financial penalty that was later imposed and collected through payroll deductions became the subject of Price’s successful legal challenge. Judge Stumpe’s ruling found the House lacked proper authority to enforce such monetary sanctions, leading to the order for full reimbursement plus the permanent injunction against future deductions related to the case.
