A former employee has filed a lawsuit against her previous employer, alleging discrimination based on her pregnancy. Candice Cooley lodged the complaint against United Parcel Service (UPS) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on June 4, 2024.
Candice Cooley, who had been employed by UPS since April 2016, claims that she faced discriminatory treatment after informing her supervisors of her pregnancy and intention to take maternity leave during a designated vacation blackout period in the summer of 2023. Cooley's complaint details how she was subjected to disciplinary actions and ultimately terminated because of her pregnancy. The legal action is based on alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) of 1978, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA).
According to the complaint, Cooley informed her sales manager, Mr. McCormack, and Director of Sales Shannon Finley about her planned vacation from December 19 to December 30, 2022. Despite initially being advised against taking time off during blackout periods, she was later given conditional approval for part of her requested leave. However, after taking her discretionary days as per company policy, Cooley faced disciplinary action upon returning to work in January 2023.
The situation escalated when Cooley disclosed her pregnancy and expected maternity leave during a conference call with McCormack and Finley on January 3, 2023. Less than three weeks later, she was terminated for allegedly taking an unapproved vacation. The termination deprived Cooley of twelve weeks of paid maternity leave she would have otherwise received.
Cooley argues that UPS's actions were motivated by her pregnancy and intended to interfere with her rights under FMLA. She claims that this treatment caused significant emotional distress, mental anguish, monetary loss, wage loss, loss of self-esteem, personal humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life.
In seeking judgment from the court, Cooley requests compensatory damages exceeding $150,000 for emotional pain and suffering as well as punitive damages for UPS's conduct. Additionally, she seeks reimbursement for back pay with interest and front pay along with attorneys' fees.
The case is represented by Tiffanie C. Benfer from Hardwick Benfer LLC in Doylestown, PA. The presiding judge is JMG under Case ID: 5:24-cv-02404-JMG.