1st Circuit Ruling Helps Working Moms
- Details
- Published on Friday, 27 March 2009
- Written by Martha Neil, ABA Journal
Workplace discrimination against pregnant women and women with children is commonplace, many suspect, but hard to prove.
But a decision yesterday (PDF) by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals may offer some relief.
Reversing a dismissal, by a federal judge in Maine, the appeals court said plaintiff Laurie Chadwick had pleaded enough to allow her federal sex discrimination complaint to proceed to trial, reports Legal Blog Watch. Chadwick claims she was passed over for a promotion in favor of a less-qualified colleague without children.
Among other allegations, Chadwick contends that when she asked her supervisor, Nanci Miller, why she didn't get the promotion, Miller replied: "It was nothing you did or didn't do. It was just that you're going to school, you have the kids and you just have a lot on your plate right now."
In addition to an 11-year-old son, Chadwick and her husband also had six-year-old triplets at the time the promotion decision was made. A stay-at-home dad, he was their primary caretaker.
Know My Rights
Know My Rights is a 501(c)(3) community-based educational nonprofit organization. Since 2007, we have worked to combat injustices and disparities in our nation's institutions of criminal and civil law by educating the public about their basic legal rights and responsibilities. To achieve our goals, we have developed and implemented the most comprehensive yet simple to understand legal education program anywhere.
Our Friends
Special thanks to all the dedicated people who make our work possible.
