The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against a medical practice to enforce the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the federal agency announced. The EEOC filed suit EEOC v. Urologic Specialists of Oklahoma, Inc., Case 4:24-cv-0452 in US District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The agency filed against the specialty medical practice when it did not allow a medical assistant at its Tulsa facility to sit, take breaks, or work part-time as her physician said was needed to protect her health and safety during the final trimester of her high-risk pregnancy. Instead, the practice forced her to take unpaid leave and refused to guarantee she would have breaks to express breastmilk. When she would not return to work without those guaranteed breaks, Urologic Specialists terminated her. This company’s alleged conduct violated the PWFA, which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or have related medical conditions. Urologic also violated the ADA by not providing reasonable accommodation to an employee with a disability, the EEOC alleged.
