TERMINIX INTERNATIONAL SUED BY EEOC FOR PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION

LITTLE  ROCK, Ark. – A McGehee, Ark., Terminix exterminator service violated  federal law by firing an employee because of her pregnancy, the U.S. Equal  Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

The EEOC’s  suit (Civil Action No. 5:09-cv-0233 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern  District of Arkansas, Pine Bluff Division) asserts that The Terminix  International Company, a part of The ServiceMaster Company, violated Title VII  of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination  Act, when it placed Heather White on a forced leave of absence and then  terminated her employment because of her pregnancy.

The EEOC filed suit after first  attempting to reach a voluntary settlement out of court. The suit seeks monetary relief in the form of  back pay and compensatory and punitive damages, reinstatement and an injunction  against future discrimination.

“This type  of blatant sex discrimination is a priority for the EEOC,” said Katharine W.  Kores, director of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, which has jurisdiction  over Arkansas, Tennessee,  and portions of Mississippi. “Employers cannot refuse to allow women to  work based on stereotypes about pregnancy.”

According to company information,  The Terminix International Company, based in Memphis, Tenn.,  provides pest control services worldwide, and is part of The ServiceMaster  Company, which includes Merry Maids, TruGreen, ServiceMaster Clean, American  Home Shield, Furniture Medic, and AmerSpec.  The McGehee Terminix location services approxi­mately 40 cities in  southeast Arkansas.

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