The Bendenelli Law Firm in Denver, Colorado recently agreed to pay a former legal assistant $30,000, ending a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Commission (EEOC), the law firm hired the former legal assistant, Jennifer Rodriquez, back in January 2017. After only 10 days on the job, “she told the law firm she was pregnant and she was fired the next day.”
The Bendenelli Law Firm in Denver, Colorado recently agreed to pay a former legal assistant $30,000, ending a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Commission (EEOC), the law firm hired the former legal assistant, Jennifer Rodriquez, back in January 2017. After only 10 days on the job, “she told the law firm she was pregnant and she was fired the next day.”
When discussing her experience, Rodriguez said the day she was fired, the firm told her, “We no longer need your services.” She said they were jarring words, and believes “she was fired because she was pregnant.” As a result of the abrupt termination, she was left with no source of income, and said at the time she felt a “Huge sadness. I wasn’t sure what the next step was. Just devastated really.”
Rodriguez added that when she began her job at the law firm, she was in her third trimester of pregnancy and reminded the firm of her pregnancy ten days after being hired. She said, “I believe it was obvious I was eight months pregnant and anyone could see it, but I still wanted to be clear about it and put it on the table.”
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Shortly after being fired, Rodriguez reached out to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and filed a lawsuit against the Bendenelli Law Firm.
Despite the allegations, the law firm continuously denied the claims that it fired Rodriguez because she was pregnant, and insisted she lost her job because of her job performance. However, according to court documents, the law firm stated “it fired her because she failed to disclose her pregnancy in the initial interview,” which, the EEOC argued, was not only unlawful but also “clear discrimination.”
Fortunately for Rodriguez, the case reached a settlement. When commenting on the settlement, she said that “winning her settlement means she got justice and hopes others who feel discriminated in the workplace will have the courage to come forward.” She added, “I really hope from this situation on that no one gets to experience what I experienced because that was really devastating for me.”
Karl Tetzlaff, a trial attorney with the EEOC, also chimed in on the settlement and said:
“Ms. Rodriguez deserves a ton of credit for coming forward. Because unfortunately, these type of cases are all too common. Not enough people come forward to the EEOC and file charges.”
In addition to paying Rodriguez $30,000, the law firm is required to undergo discrimination and sensitivity training to ensure a similar incident doesn’t occur in the future.
Sources:
Woman fired by Denver law firm for being pregnant reaches $30,000 settlement
Bendinelli Law Firm to Pay $30,000 To Settle EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination Lawsuit
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