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| "Good Mother" Advice = $75K |
A marketing firm will pay a former manager $75,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The Montalbano Group of Metairie agreed to the settlement even though it "does not admit that it has engaged in any unlawful practices."
According to the EEOC, Michelle King, the former vice president of Montalbano's office in Tampa, Florida, lost her job after firm officials learned she was pregnant. The evidence included an email written by company owner Herb Montalbano Jr., which stated:
"Right now I feel the best thing to do is for you to have your baby and for the next three months nurture him or her and we'll discuss coming back probably around April or May. There is no way you can be a good mother while achieving what I aspire in Tampa."
While Montalbano acknowledged he authored the email (which may be more colloquially referred to as "Exhibit A" or "the smoking gun"), the company insists King was terminated for economic reasons.
The settlement includes $25,000 for King's wages and $50,000 for her other losses. "We think that it's a very significant outcome in light of the size of the company and the facts of the case," said EEOC lawyer Gregory Juge. "That amount is robust in relation to the size of the employer."
The settlement also requires the firm to adopt an anti-discrimination policy covering pregnant employees, and for Montalbano himself to undergo training on the pregnancy discrimination laws. [EEOC v. Montalbano Group (USDC EDLA 2008) no. 2:2006cv06170]
For information on this topic tailored to your company profile, request Memos: |
5610 Definition of Pregnancy & Maternity Discrimination
3200 Pregnancy Leave for Mother's Health or Newborn
3275 Right to Former Job after Pregnancy Leave
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