Roseland Community Hospital Settles EEOC Lawsuit for Pregnancy Discrimination

Federal Agency Charged Hospital Refused to Accommodate and Fired Pregnant Employee

CHICAGO - Roseland Community Hospital will pay $15,500 and make policy changes to prevent any future discrimination to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

In its lawsuit, EEOC alleged that Roseland Community Hospital, located on Chicago's South Side, had refused to accommodate the medical restrictions of a pregnant female employee and then terminated her because of her pregnancy.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). The lawsuit was assigned to Judge Charles Kocoras of the Northern District of Illinois and captioned EEOC v. Roseland Community Hospital, 1:14-cv-07235.

In addition to requiring that Roseland pay monetary relief to the former employee, the two-year consent decree resolving the case prohibits Roseland from engaging in pregnancy discrimination and retaliation in the future. Roseland will adopt a policy to that effect, and provide information to employees on how to request an accommodation for pregnancy. The decree also requires that Roseland provide training to its human resources staff, managers and supervisors about pregnancy discrimination; submit periodic reports to the EEOC about pregnancy discrimination complaints; and post a notice within its facility regarding the outcome of the lawsuit.

"Unfortunately, pregnancy discrimination remains a reality for many working women in the United States, and the EEOC will continue to work tirelessly to fight this type of unlawful conduct," said John Hendrickson, regional attorney of the Chicago District Office. "Fortunately, in this case, we were able to reach an early resolution that fairly compensates the harmed employee and implements changes that will protect other pregnant Roseland employees from any future harm."

The EEOC's Chicago District Office is responsible for processing discrimination charges, administrative enforcement, and the conduct of agency litigation in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota, with Area Offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. Further information about the Commission is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.