Smithfield Fresh Meats to pay $245,000 to settle EEOC pregnancy discrimination suit
Key points
- Smithfield Fresh Meats Corp. will pay $245,000 and provide other relief to settle an EEOC pregnancy discrimination lawsuit
- The EEOC alleged the company denied an employee's pregnancy accommodation requests and fired her, in violation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- The case involved its Tar Heel, North Carolina site
Smithfield Fresh Meats Corp. will pay $245,000 and provide other relief to settle an EEOC pregnancy discrimination lawsuit, the agency announced. The EEOC alleged the company denied an employee's pregnancy accommodation requests at its Tar Heel, North Carolina site and fired her, in violation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Tip: When employers receive pregnancy accommodation requests, they should document communications and assess whether reasonable accommodations are possible, to avoid enforcement risk from refusing accommodations.
What employers should do
- Review how pregnancy accommodation requests are received and approved, and keep written records
- Train managers to consider reasonable accommodations rather than refusing based on company policy
Policy details
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
- Status
- Enforcement action
- Effective date
- —
- Employers covered
- Employers subject to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- Official source
- View official source ↗
Original report: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ↗Edited with AI assistance. Facts are based on official sources and original reports. For information only; not legal, immigration or insurance advice.