RALEIGH, N.C. (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has settled its lawsuit against a health care provider over allegations that a pregnant employee was discriminated against and not given the necessary accommodations.
The EEOC announced April 11 that it had settled the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina against PruittHealth-Raleigh.
The suit states that the defendant operated a skilled nursing and rehab facility in Raleigh and that the defendant subjected employee Dominque Codington, a certified nursing assistant, to unfair treatment while in its employ. The EEOC alleged the plaintiff was pregnant and the defendant refused to accommodate her pregnancy-related lifting restriction.
The plaintiff allegedly was made to lift heavy items and the defendant forced her to resign from her position, rather than simply terminating her.
PruittHealth-Raleigh will pay $25,000 to settle the suit, as well as adopt a formal written policy to provide modified responsibilities and duties for pregnant employees, in addition to annual training on requirements of Title VII to managers and supervisors.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina case number 5:18-cv-00165