A Texas pharmaceutical company faces charges of discrimination after firing two pregnant employees. The two former employees of Pharmacy Solutions allege in their lawsuit that the owner of the company began the discriminatory treatment towards them after each informed him of her pregnancy.
Arian Lemon, former pharmacist for the company, alleges that after she requested time off for doctor appointments, management began to make disparaging remarks and terminated her three months after she took maternity leave. Emilee Stephens, former pharmacy technician, faced similar discriminatory treatment after informing management she was pregnant and was ultimately terminated from the company in 2013.
As detailed in this article, the EEOC has filed approximately 45 complaints for alleged pregnancy discrimination, resulting in $3.5 million in damages. In order to deter future discrimination, injunctive relief has been awarded against employers as well.
In the wake of the EEOC’s restructuring its policies on discrimination against pregnant workers, EEOC Regional Attorney, Robert Canino, “I am surprised that this issue continues to be a recurring theme in the workplace in this day and age. We hope that by continuing to increase public awareness through our law enforcement efforts, we will see more of an awakening by some companies about the right of a woman to hold on to her job and earn a living when she is expecting and during maternity leave.”
If you or someone you know thinks they have experienced discrimination due to pregnancy, the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use out contact form.