Landau Uniforms Sued By EEOC For Pregnancy Discrimination

Healthcare Clothing Manufacturer Fired Employee Due to Pregnancy, Federal Agency Charges

MEMPHIS,  Tenn. – An Olive Branch, Miss.,-based company  that manufactures and distributes medical scrubs and other health care-related  clothing violated federal law by discriminating against an employee because of  her pregnancy, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged  in a lawsuit it filed yesterday.

The  EEOC's suit, Civil Action No. 2:11-cv-00201, filed in U.S. District Court for  the Northern District of Mississippi, Delta Division, asserts that Landau  Uniforms, Inc., violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it  subjected Tara Smith, who worked for Landau Uniforms at its manufacturing and  shipping facility in Olive Branch, to unequal terms and conditions of  employment because of her pregnancy. The  EEOC alleges that after Smith informed her supervisor of her pregnancy, she  was subjected to frequent reprimands, a negative performance evaluation and  eventually termination. The EEOC also  alleges that the company retaliated against Smith when she complained about  the discrimination.

The EEOC filed suit after first  attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation  process. The agency's lawsuit seeks  monetary relief in the form of back pay, compensatory and punitive damages,  reinstatement and an injunction against future discrimination, among other  items.

"The  company refused to allow Tara Smith to work simply because of her pregnancy,"  said Katharine W. Kores, district director of the EEOC's Memphis District  Office, which has jurisdiction   over Arkansas, Tennessee and portions of Mississippi.  "Women should not be penalized for choosing to have a family and  employers cannot refuse to allow women to work based on discriminatory stereotypes  about pregnancy. This agency is  committed to combating this type of blatant sex discrimination, which prevents  women from advancing in the workplace."

According to its website, Landau  Uniforms has more than 1,000 associates and its medical scrubs are distributed  to retail stores across the country and internationally.

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