Comfort Inn Settles Pregnancy Discrimination Suit for $27k

The owner of a Comfort Inn & Suites franchise will pay $27,500 to settle claims that it discriminated against an employee because she was pregnant. The case reminds employers to keep in mind that the law prohibits discrimination against pregnant employees, and that employers may need to accommodate them.

Ramin Inc., which owned a Comfort Inn & Suites franchise in Taylor, Mich., fired a housekeeper after she informed the company she was pregnant. The employer said it could not allow her to continue to working as a housekeeper because of the potential harm to the development of her baby, according to a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission press release.

EEOC sued on her behalf, alleging discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (EEOC v. Ramin, Inc., 2012-cv-15015 (E.D. Mich.). The PDA protects female employees from gender discrimination due to their pregnancy. An employer may not exclude pregnant women from employment based on the employer’s supposed concerns about the safety of the mother or unborn baby, the commission explained. 

The employer settled with EEOC, agreeing to pay the employee $2,500 in back pay and $25,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. It also must train managers on gender and pregnancy discrimination, according to the commission.

Employers should remember that women with pregnancy-related disabilities also could be protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Normal pregnancy is not typically covered by ADA, but an employer could have to provide accommodations such as leave or a light-duty assignment to a female employee with a pregnancy-related disability. Forcing an accommodation on a pregnant employee, however, likely would violate ADA. 

See Forcing Pregnant Employee Into Light Duty May Violate ADA and Is a Pregnant Employee Entitled to ADAAA Accommodations? for more information.