Pregnancy Discrimination Lawsuit Settled by EEOC

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that Arthur’s Restaurant and Bar, a fine dining steakhouse, will pay $20,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit that the EEOC brought against the restaurant.  The EEOC alleged that Arthur’s fired cocktail server Jennifer Todd during her seventh month of pregnancy, when the company told her that it decided she should begin her maternity leave early.  Arthur’s defended their actions by saying that they were acting out of concern for the health of the mother and baby.  The employee was fired shortly after the restaurant’s owner made a comment to her that she was “starting to show.”  This alleged conduct Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, which prohibits employers from firing an employee because of her pregnancy, or requiring an employee to take maternity leave while the employee is still able to work.  See EEOC v. Restaurant & Bar Arthurs, Ltd., No. 3:14-CV-03033 (N.D. Tex.).