Employers Need to Make Same Accommodations To Pregnant Women as They Do for Other Employees

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit alleging that a company provided light duty and job modifications to Certified Nursing Assistants who had been injured at work, but that it did not provide similar accommodations to pregnant CNAs who required accommodations or restrictions due to their pregnancies.  The lawsuit further alleges that the company refused to provide a lifting restriction accommodation for one of its pregnant CNAs, and that the company instead placed her on unpaid leave.  After the employee’s leave ran out, the company fired her because she could not return without the accommodation due to her pregnancy.  Such conduct is a violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which is an amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and prohibits discrimination against an employee on the basis of the employee’s pregnancy.  See EEOC v. Century Care of Laurinburg, Inc., No. 1:18-cv-00170 (M.D.N.C.).