A California company that specializes in testing services for expecting women is being sued by a former employee for alleged pregnancy discrimination. The plaintiff in the case claims she was wrongfully fired for becoming pregnant.
According to media reports, the plaintiff worked as a senior manager of content marketing at Natera, a San Carlos-based company that provides preconception and prenatal testing services to women. The plaintiff alleges that the company told her she would no longer be a manager after she announced she was pregnant. She also claims that a male executive asked her and another pregnant employee to use their pregnancies to go undercover and get blood tests at a competing company. Then, during her maternity leave, she claims she was demoted. When she complained about the demotion to human resources, she alleges that she was terminated from her position at the company.
The plaintiff said that the experience was a “sad wake-up call” about pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. She also said she was especially horrified that she was treated so poorly by a company that caters to pregnant women. When contacted by the media, Natera said it had no knowledge of the lawsuit. It also said it strives to create a diverse staff and comply with all applicable employment laws.
An employment law attorney could help employees dealing with any type of workplace discrimination, including pregnancy, gender, race and age discrimination. After reviewing the case, a lawyer may recommend filing a complaint with state agencies and/or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. If the complaint is successful, an employee could be awarded back pay and other compensatory and punitive damages.
Source: KPIX, “Ex-Worker At Prenatal Testing Firm Claims She Was Fired For Getting Pregnant,” July 11, 2018
