Real Life Story of Pregnancy Discrimination

Patricia, Human Resources Director - Massachusetts

A Human Resources Director at a technical firm, Patricia, found out that she was pregnant and informed her supervisor, Glenn. Several hours later, another supervisor, Leonard, asked to meet with Patricia. At the meeting, he congratulated her on her pregnancy and then informed her that she was being laid off. Patricia filed suit for pregnancy discrimination. The timing of her termination, along with evidence that the "reduction in force" that her company pursued was not gender-neutral, was sufficient for the court to decide that a jury could find for Patricia on her gender and pregnancy discrimination claims.

McDonnell v. Certified Engineering & Testing Co., 899 F. Supp. 739 (D. Mass. 1995).