Pregnancy lawsuit costs firm $30,000

Triple T Foods, an Arkansas pet food processor based in Kansas, has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought on a former employee's behalf by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency announced Monday.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Fayetteville and accused Triple T of violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 when it fired a lab technician the same day she informed the company of her pregnancy, according to the EEOC.

U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks approved a consent decree requiring the payment to the former employee and also requiring Triple T to train its personnel about pregnancy discrimination, submit reports to the EEOC and post a notice reinforcing the company's anti-discrimination policies and procedures for reporting and preventing pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.

In announcing the settlement, the EEOC noted that on July 14, it released its Enforcement Guide on Pregnancy Discrimination and Related Issues, as well as a fact sheet for small businesses, noting that it was "the first comprehensive update since 1983."

In the news release, Faye A. Williams, regional attorney for the EEOC's district office in Memphis, said, "We continue to see more complaints of pregnancy discrimination throughout our district. We are pleased Triple T has hired a human resources specialist to prevent pregnancy discrimination from occurring there in the future."

Metro on 07/29/2014

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