A lawsuit accuses attorney Jim Onder of sexual harassment and alleged law violations related to a Ferguson data center project.
The lawsuit, reported by St. Louis Magazine, broadly accuses Onder of sexual harassment and law violations related to the Ferguson data center.
OnderLaw advertises substantial client recoveries and verdicts. Onder is the attorney spearheading SSL Investments, which is connected to the project at the center of the dispute.
The Ferguson Data Center Fight
Onder owns a controversial redevelopment project at the former Emerson campus in Ferguson, where the city council initially voted against the proposal in spring 2026. The council rejected an earlier incentive package in a 3-3 vote with one abstention in May 2026, after what St. Louis Public Radio described as almost two months of contentious debate.
Council Reverses Course, Residents Push Back
The city council ultimately approved a revised incentive package by a 4-3 vote in September, according to the St. Louis Business Journal, with incentives stretching over 15 years. Ferguson granted the project up to $1.5 billion in tax incentives. An earlier proposal to issue up to $22 billion in industrial revenue bonds was voted down, while the Business Journal preview described possible project investment between $1.8 billion and $22 billion.
Opposition didn't end with the council's approval. Ferguson residents later petitioned the city to cancel the project or put it to a citywide vote, submitting 1,401 signatures to the city clerk, according to a report from First Alert 4. That outlet's report noted the referendum could force the city council to reconsider the ordinance or put it before voters.
Judge Rejects Bid to Seal the Case
A judge has already weighed in on how public the lawsuit itself will be. Judge John Lasater declined to seal the case, finding that potential embarrassment and reputational harm to the business were not compelling reasons to keep it from public view, St. Louis Magazine reported.
The case adds a new layer of scrutiny to a redevelopment fight that has already split Ferguson's council and its residents for months. With a petition now in the city clerk's hands and a harassment lawsuit unfolding in court, the fate of the former Emerson campus — and the political fallout around it — remains far from settled.
