Symphony Deerbrook, LLC will pay $400,000 and furnish other relief to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over conduct at its Symphony of Joliet facility, the federal agency announced. In its lawsuit, the EEOC charged that Symphony, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, implemented a policy requiring employees to inform the company of any pregnancy and to obtain a note from their doctor releasing them to work without restrictions. The EEOC also alleged that Symphony denied employees with pregnancy-related restrictions reasonable accommodations and terminated them though other employees with similar restrictions were provided accommodations.
Such conduct violates The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of Title VII, 42 U.S.C. 2000e(K) and 2000e-(2)(a)(1), which prohibits employers from discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and requires that employers treat pregnant employees the same as other employees who are similar in their ability or inability to work. Such conduct also violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d)(3)(C)(4)(a), which prohibits employee medical examinations that are not job related or consistent with business necessity. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for Northern District of Illinois, Case No. 21cv02978, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
