A Florida assisted living and memory care community will pay $39,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit involving a pregnant caregiver.
Excel Hospitality Group, doing business as Regency Park Assisted Living & Memory Care in Eustis, FL, was accused of rescinding an offer of employment to a woman who mentioned she was pregnant during the paperwork process, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit. Regency Park reportedly rescinded the offer for a caregiver position, informing the woman the company decided to hire someone else.
The EEOC said it filed the suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement. Pregnancy discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Regency Park Executive Director Betty Carroll said she had no comment on the settlement and referred McKnight’s Senior Living to the organization’s attorney, who had not responded by the publication deadline.
In addition to $39,000 in damages, the three-year consent decree requires Regency Park to adopt and distribute an updated policy against pregnancy discrimination, conduct training on pregnancy discrimination, provide semi-annual reports to the EEOC and post a notice.
“Employers should not penalize women for having children,” Robert E. Weisberg, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Miami District said in a statement.
