Woman cites pregnancy as reason for termination of employment

By Thomas Ricotta on September 15th, 2014 in Workplace Discrimination

There is no question that women have come a long way over the course of the last few decades when it comes to equality in the workplace. While some things have leveled out there is still room for improvement. This is illustrated in the existence of workplace discrimination lawsuits filed by women based on being pregnant.

A former executive with the New York Mets recently filed one of these lawsuits. The woman, who was employed as a senior vice president of ticket sales, claims that she lost her job because she is unmarried and was expecting a baby.

In her lawsuit she alleged that the team’s co-owner mentioned that he was not happy that she was having a baby out of wedlock and would often check to see if she was wearing an engagement ring. He also allegedly said that she would get a bigger bonus and make more money once she was engaged.

After the baby was born she also asserts that he said having the baby made her less aggressive.

The team responded to the lawsuit in the press indicating that the claims are without merit. In addition, it confirmed that she had in fact been fired. As of yet it does not appear that they offered a reason for that firing.

It is unclear what the woman is seeking via her lawsuit.

Companies throughout the nation are prohibited from discriminating against a woman because she is pregnant. In addition to a termination of employment, this behavior may take the form of offering lesser benefits or failing to promote her. Individuals who are unsure about whether what they are facing constitutes pregnancy discrimination should consult with an employment lawyer.

Source: The Bleacher Report, “Mets Sued by Former Team Executive: Latest Details, Reaction and More,” Adam Wells, Sept. 10, 2014