EEOC Sues Corner Bar for Pregnancy Discrimination

AUSTIN, Texas – Corner Bar, which operates on South Lamar Boulevard in Austin, Texas, discriminated against a female bartender by reducing her hours and terminating her because she was pregnant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

According to the EEOC’s suit, the female bartender told her managers she was pregnant. Soon after her pregnancy became visible, her hours were cut and she was taken off the closing shifts, which were among the most profitable. Corner Bar informed the bartender in a phone call that the business was “parting ways” with her, the EEOC said.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy. The EEOC filed suit, Civil Action No. 1:23-cv-539, in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The lawsuit names three limited liability companies that operate Corner Bar and other Austin-area hospitality businesses. The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and appropriate injunctive relief to prevent similar discriminatory practices in the future.

“This lawsuit should serve to remind employers that federal law clearly prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions,” said Philip Moss, a trial attorney with the EEOC’s San Antonio Field Office. “The EEOC remains committed to fighting discrimination based on sex in the workplace, including pregnancy discrimination, in all of its forms.”

Robert Canino, regional attorney for the Dallas District Office, added, “Employers violate discrimination laws when they deny women opportunities based on stereotypes and unfounded assumptions about what they are able to do during and after pregnancies. As a matter of fact, the importance of these workplace pregnancy discrimination issues is further re-enforced by the federal Pregnant Worker Fairness Act (PWFA), which becomes effective next month.”

For more information on pregnancy discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/pregnancy-discrimination. For more information on the PWFA, please visit What You Should Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (eeoc.gov).

The San Antonio Field Office is part of the EEOC’s Dallas District Office, which is responsible for processing charges of discrimination and the conduct of agency litiga­tion in Texas and parts of New Mexico.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.