Keisha Scarlett
ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis taxpayer has filed a lawsuit seeking to recover thousands of dollars allegedly misused by former St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Keisha Scarlett and other associated parties, citing violations of district policies, misuse of funds and illegal contracts executed without board approval.
Neil Hogan, a resident and taxpayer of St. Louis, filed the suit in St. Louis Circuit Court on May 12, alleging that Scarlett, along with former SLPS official Antoinette Cousins and consulting firm SMJ Communications LLC, received unlawful payments from the district.
Hogan is asking the court to issue a declaratory judgment and an injunction to force the return of the funds, which were allegedly expended in violation of state law and district policy.
Scarlett is accused of using SLPS-issued credit cards to pay for a wide range of personal and unapproved expenses, according to the court filing.
These include $1,700 in automobile-related expenses for a vehicle not owned or provided by the district, $26,500 in personal purchases that allegedly lacked any rational connection to school business, $11,500 in unreimbursable airline travel, and $17,000 in miscellaneous expenses.
The suit claims these expenditures were for matters such as unauthorized travel, costs incurred by SLPS employees and personal professional development activities.
The lawsuit further alleges that Cousins was improperly reimbursed for travel expenses that exceeded SLPS policy limits, including hotel rooms costing more than the district’s $350-per-night cap, meal expenses above the $50 daily allowance and approximately $185 in airline seat upgrade charges.
In addition to the spending violations, the suit focuses on an $84,000 contract between SLPS and SMJ Communications for consulting services from October 2023 through March 2024.
The agreement, the suit states, was executed solely by Scarlett without the approval of the SLPS Board of Education, in direct violation of both district policy and Missouri statute §432.070.
As such, the suit argues, the contract is void and SMJ Communications should be compelled to return the funds.
The legal action claims that despite being made aware of these issues, SLPS officials have refused to pursue recovery of the unlawful payments. This refusal, the suit alleges, constitutes a breach of fiduciary and ministerial duties owed to the public and to taxpayers like Hogan.
The court document references Missouri case law to argue that public officials have binding responsibilities to safeguard public resources and cannot neglect to take action when those duties are violated.
Hogan is seeking a declaratory judgment that the expenditures were unlawful, that the contract with SMJ Communications was void, and that he has the right to bring this suit on behalf of the public. He also seeks an order compelling Scarlett, Cousins, and SMJ Communications to return the funds they received, along with interest and to pay his legal fees.
Although SLPS is named as a defendant in the suit, no relief is being sought directly from the district.
The filing notes that the district’s interest in the outcome warrants its inclusion, as its failure to act has directly harmed taxpayers.
The lawsuit comes during an ongoing fallout from a separate internal audit of Scarlett’s tenure as superintendent, which also found widespread violations of district policy in hiring practices, unauthorized salary changes and questionable expenditures totaling over $140,000, according to St. Louis Public Radio.
Scarlett, who was placed on leave in the summer of 2024 and later terminated in September, has denied wrongdoing. Her attorney has characterized the board’s actions as part of a “pattern of injustice and vendetta.”
St. Louis Circuit Court case number: 2522-CC00883
