Walgreens didn’t let pregnant worker leave and she miscarried, feds say. Company to pay
A pregnant Walgreens employee wasn’t allowed to leave work to see her doctor when she began spotting blood, according to a newly settled federal lawsuit.
Her manager refused to let her go until someone could fill in for her — but then said “she could not find a replacement for her” at the store in Alexandria, Louisiana, the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says.
The manager told the woman “that (she) was not a good fit for Walgreens now that she was pregnant, and that (she) had asked for too many accommodations,” according to the lawsuit.
She was forced to quit to seek medical care and had a miscarriage that day on December 2, 2020, the lawsuit says.
Ultimately, the manager and a shift lead “could have covered for her,” according to the EEOC.
Now, Walgreens has agreed to pay $205,000 to settle the lawsuit accusing the company of pregnancy and disability discrimination, the EEOC said in a March 15 news release.
The company is required to pay the woman the full settlement amount, court documents show.
“Miscarriages can be personally devastating. No one should have to choose between getting the pregnancy care they need and losing a job,” Elizabeth Owen, an EEOC senior trial attorney based in New Orleans, said in a statement.
Walgreens spokesman Fraser Engerman told McClatchy News on March 20 that “while we deny these allegations, we are pleased to resolve this matter.”
“Walgreens does not tolerate discrimination of any kind against our team members, patients, or customers,” Engerman said.
The woman, who has diabetes and hypoglycemia, previously told her manager she struggled with low blood sugar before she resigned, the lawsuit says, McClatchy News previously reported.
Walgreens wouldn’t reasonably accommodate her, despite how she was considered an individual with a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act — as she was pregnant with health conditions, according to the EEOC.
The woman wasn’t granted emergency leave after her doctor advised her to seek care even though “Walgreens ordinarily permits employees to leave if they are experiencing an emergency,” the lawsuit says.
The company was accused of violating the ADA and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
As part of a two-year consent decree, Walgreens must share policies at its retail stores in ten cities about how pregnancy discrimination and related retaliation is prohibited, the EEOC said.
Employees and supervisors will also be required to undergo training “on pregnancy-related discrimination, reasonable accommodations, and the company’s anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation policies,” according to the agency.
Alexandria is about a 200-mile drive northwest from New Orleans.
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