Moms and women all over the world can now celebrate a major victory for their community! The new mom who sued her former employers after being fired for taking maternity leave has recently won her case. The medical staffing company, based in Milwaukee, will now have to pay her almost $150,000.
The mom, Roxy Leger, filed a suit with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging the company committed pregnancy discrimination. Reportedly, Leger's boss made "offensive comments" to her throughout her pregnancy and then fired her soon after she gave birth.
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Now, HSC Medical Staffing Inc. is paying for their unfair actions. The judge, Judge J.P. Stadtmueller, (rightfully!) ruled that the incident was humiliating and degrading for Leger. And, according to an EEOC report, the company has been ordered to pay Legal a total of $148,340, with $100,000 of that being punitive and compensatory damages.
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I'm so happy to see that the company was forced to reap the consequences for their unwarranted decisions. This is a great precedent for future cases that involve women who face unlawful termination due to their pregnancies. Even more ideally, it will actually prevent these incidents from ever happening again. One thing's for sure –the situation illustrates that mothers, soon-to-be moms, and women in general should never settle for a hostile work environment. As seen in this case, justice can be served!
Do you think Leger deserved to win her case?
Image via koadmunkee/flickr
