PHILADELPHIA – A woman is suing her former employer over a claim that she was fired after missing time due to an ectopic pregnancy and recovery from surgery.
Kendra Childs filed a lawsuit April 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Accutrace, Inc. alleging a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
While working as a fingerprint liaison of Accutrace, Childs left work early on or about July 31, 2014, according to the lawsuit, with excruciating pain that a doctor diagnosed was an ectopic pregnancy, which left untreated can be deadly.
After surgery, according to the claim, she continued to experience complications through at least Aug. 11, 2014. Childs said she received a text message from management indicating that they disapproved of her missing time to deal with her issue.
She returned to work on Aug. 5, 2014, for only a few hours, and then returned again on Aug. 11, 2014. Management, according to the claim, continued to be upset with her disability and denied her opportunity to work on projects. Childs claims that her complaints to Human Resources about management were not addressed. Within weeks of her complaints, according to the lawsuit, she was fired on or about Sept. 9, 2014.
She is seeking appropriate equitable relief, including reinstatement or front pay, punitive damages, compensatory damages for future pecuniary losses and attorneys’ fees and costs of suit.
Childs, who is demanding a jury trial, is being represented by attorney James A. Bell, IV of Bell & Bell, L.L.P of Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Court Case number 2:16-cv-02024-HB