Lebau & Neuworth is pleased to announce that a firm’s client vindicated her rights at the U.S. Equal Employment Commission after not being hired for a job because she is pregnant.
The alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Life Time Fitness, Inc., Civil Action No. 8:16-cv-02936-DKC) in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Greenbelt Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
“Rescinding a job offer to a qualified applicant, even if you tell her she can reapply for another position after she has the baby, is still illegal pregnancy discrimination,” EEOC Philadelphia District Director Spencer H. Lewis Jr. said.
The EEOC’s press release on the case further stated:
“A Minnesota-based gym company will pay $86,000 and furnish significant relief to resolve a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
“The EEOC charged in the suit that after two job interviews, the [gym] told who was applying for a job at its Rockville, Md., location, to come in to complete new hire paperwork so she could be placed on the schedule. When Carpenter emailed the gym with her work availability and advised that she was 35 weeks pregnant, the gym failed to schedule her for work and stopped communicating with her. A manager finally told her two weeks later that her position had been placed on hold and two other people had been hired. The manager encouraged her to apply for a position at another Life Time Fitness facility opening later that year.
“In addition to the $86,000 in monetary relief to Carpenter, the three-year consent decree resolving the suit enjoins Life Time Fitness from failing to hire based on sex, including pregnancy. The company will revise its non-discrimination policy to state that it does not discriminate on the basis of pregnancy and will disseminate the revised policy to all current and newly hired employees. The company will provide annual anti-discrimination training to all managers and hiring personnel at its Montgomery County, Md., facilities. Further, the company will also report to EEOC on its compliance with the consent decree, including how it handles any complaints of alleged pregnancy discrimination, and will post a notice regarding the settlement.”
To read the entire press release, click here.
Unfortunately, pregnancy discrimination still exists in the workplace. If you or someone you know has been a victim of employment discrimination, contact Lebau & Neuworth at (410) 296-3030 or lebauneuworth.com/contact-us.
