Kendrick has dedicated her career to helping people with their legal matters. She has more than 30 years of experience as a litigation paralegal in plaintiff-side employment law. Kendrick has spent the last several years of her career at Kennedy Hunt P.C. and has been a fixture for her clients, the firm, and the community.

During her career, Kendrick has met every challenge that has come her way. From the advent of electronic court filing to artificial intelligence, Teresa has seen immense changes in the legal field. 

On both a personal and professional level, Kendrick has been a gem at Kennedy Hunt P.C. 

“It is hard for me to imagine this office without Teresa in it. She has given so much of herself to this work, and she has earned this retirement. The work we do can be difficult, but Teresa has met it with dedication and care. We have all learned from her, and the example she has set will stay with us. We will miss her deeply, but of course, wish her nothing but the best in her next chapter.” – Sarah Jane Hunt, managing partner 

“I have enjoyed working with Teresa and am grateful our paths crossed both professionally and personally. I will miss her, but I’m excited for her to have time for new adventures and to explore new interests. I wish her many years of health and a happy retirement.” – Althea Respess, office manager 

Kendrick earned her Associate in Applied Science degree for Legal Assistants from St. Louis Area Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

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The “integration mandate”, handed down in the Olmstead decision, bans unnecessary segregation of people with disabilties and requires states and local governments to provide people with disabilties with community-based services and settings. Community-based services may look like a nurse coming to a person’s home to help them with personal-care services. Community-based settings, such as home modifications, help ensure people with disabilities remain integrated into their communities. 

But now, the services that more than 8 million Americans rely on are being challenged. A group of Republican-led states has brought forward a lawsuit, Texas v. Kennedy, in which they argue that the federal government cannot require states to provide disability services within communities. The Department of Justice has also issued a legal opinion aligning itself with the states in this case and says it will no longer enforce the Olmstead ruling in the way it has for the past two decades.

“We recognize that this view of Olmstead’s import is out of step with the common understanding of that decision within the federal courts,” the Justice Department wrote in the memo.  

NPR recently featured two siblings who are now fighting to keep their disability rights. 

“The integrated setting affects school. It affects where you can work. It affects community-based programs like what my brother uses,” Kaleigh Brendle told NPR. 

Disability rights advocates are now raising the flag about the dangers of this lawsuit and changes at the Justice Department. 

The National Down Syndrome Society recently said in a statement: 

“Community living is essential in helping individuals with Down syndrome thrive, and NDSS will continue to protect the legal right that individuals with disabilities have to receive services and live alongside their peers.” 

The attorneys at Kennedy Hunt PC are champions for the disability rights community and experts in civil rights law. If your rights have been violated, we can help. Please complete a questionnaire so we can understand your claim.

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The lawsuit states that our client’s minor children have serious health conditions and require frequent and unpredictable medical care for their chronic disabilities. Our client, as their primary caretaker, must attend their medical appointments and provide care for them.

The lawsuit alleges that at the time of his hiring, the school district was aware of the children’s medical conditions. According to the lawsuit, our client took multiple steps to ensure he had sufficient paid time off work to support his children, including enrolling in the Teachers’ Union Sick Bank and getting letters from doctors requesting accommodations.

The lawsuit alleges that on multiple occasions during our client’s employment, the school district did not allow our client to collect pay for sick days when he should have been entitled to do so.

The lawsuit alleges that the school district later retaliated against our client by refusing to renew his teaching contract, thereby terminating his employment, and then claimed our client “had not grown into the leader and educator the school is looking for.”

This case is ongoing. 

For more information, contact attorney Nicole Matlock at nmatlock@kennedyhuntlaw.com. If you or someone you know has been a victim of discrimination, our skilled attorneys at Kennedy Hunt, P.C. may be able to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim.

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The lawsuit alleges that, during her employment, our client made complaints that General Motors was discriminating against her because of her disability, and also reported sexual harassment in the workplace. Our client has the medical condition of anxiety. 

The lawsuit claims that after our client’s mother died, General Motors denied our client one additional day of bereavement leave. Our client took the additional day, but when she returned, General Motors allegedly verbally attacked and issued her a warning for failing to comply with her job duties.

Afterward, the lawsuit alleges that our client took medical leave for approximately one month due to her anxiety. According to the lawsuit, when she returned, our client was told she was “not making him look good” and was “ruining his reputation.” 

The lawsuit further alleges that when our client asked for help with her supervisor, General Motors took no effective remedial action. Additionally, the lawsuit claims that General Motors wanted to put a younger person in our client’s role.

The lawsuit also claims that when our client later requested medical leave due to anxiety and/or stress, her short-term disability was denied. The lawsuit alleges that General Motors had previously called the disability leave insurer and instructed it to deny disability leave for other employees in the past.

General Motors then terminated our client’s employment in February 2026. 

This case is ongoing. 

For more information, contact attorney Nicole Matlock at nmatlock@kennedyhuntlaw.com. If you or someone you know has been a victim of discrimination, our skilled attorneys at Kennedy Hunt, P.C. may be able to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim. 

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SSD says it will eliminate its use of “seclusion and supine restraint in all SSD schools, programs, partner districts, and contracted partner settings.” SSD also says that physical restraint will continue only “when the student’s behavior poses an imminent danger of physical harm to the student or another person.” 

This change comes after a DOJ investigation found SSD’s seclusion and restraint practices discriminated against students with disabilities and violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The investigation claimed that during the two-year investigation, SSD secluded over 300 students almost 4,000 times and restrained almost 150 students nearly 800 times. 

“Parents should not have to worry that their children could be subjected to solitary confinement and dangerous restraint techniques at school because of their disabilities,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillion of the Civil Rights Division said when the findings were released. 

Kennedy Hunt P.C. litigates seclusion and restraint issues and currently represents a minor child with disabilities in a case against Rockwood School District and SSD. 

According to the lawsuit, our client was repeatedly excluded from education on multiple occasions to punish him for behaviors consistent with his disabilities. The lawsuit also claims Rockwood School District and SSD used a blue mat to restrain and exclude our client on at least one occasion without the parent’s consent. The lawsuit alleges that our client developed PTSD as a result of his experiences at school. 

Our skilled attorneys are experts in education law. If you or someone you know has been a victim of discrimination based on disability, Kennedy Hunt, P.C. may be able to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim. 

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