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Judge Tosses EEOC Pregnancy-Discrimination Class Action based on Work-Life Balance Theory, Echoing Themes from Dukes
Granting an employer’s request for summary judgment, a federal judge in New York has ruled that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission failed to demonstrate that an employer engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against pregnant employees or those who have returned from maternity leave in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. EEOC v. Bloomberg L.P., No. 07-CV-08383 (S.D. N.Y. Aug. 16, 2011). Judge Loretta Preska ruled the EEOC presented insufficient evidence of discrimination in its lawsuit, which she found was based on a theory of “work-life balance.” According to Judge Preska, the law does not require companies to ignore employees' work-family tradeoffs when deciding about employee pay and promotions. The law simply requires fair treatment of all employees.
