Health Network Rescinded Job Offer to Woman Because She Was Pregnant, Federal Agency Charges
PHOENIX - Community Care Health Network, Inc., doing business as Matrix Medical Network in Scottsdale, Ariz., violated federal law by rescinding a job offer to Patricia Pogue after it discovered that she was pregnant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed on Friday.
According to the EEOC's lawsuit, after several rounds of interviews, Matrix offered Pogue a job as a credentialing manager. After receiving the job offer, Pogue informed Matrix that she was pregnant and would need maternity leave. Approximately a week later, Matrix asked Pogue why she did not disclose that fact that she was pregnant during her interviews, and then rescinded its job offer.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, including pregnancy. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona (EEOC v. Community Care Health Network, Inc. d/b/a Matrix Medical Network, Civil Action No. 2:18-cv-03008-JJT) after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement through its conciliation process.
The lawsuit asks the court to order Matrix to provide Patricia Pogue appropriate relief, including back wages, compensatory and punitive damages, and a permanent injunction enjoining the company from engaging in any further discriminatory practices based on a person's sex, including pregnancy. The EEOC also asks the court to order the company to institute and carry out policies and practices that eradicate and prevent sex discrimination in the workplace.
"A job candidate should be evaluated on her merits," said Regional Attorney Mary Jo O'Neill of the EEOC's Phoenix District Office. "Pregnancy should play no role in an employer's hiring decisions. Pregnancy discrimination remains a significant barrier for women in the workplace, and the EEOC is dedicated to fighting it."
EEOC District Director Elizabeth Cadle said, "Employers should want to hire the best candidate, irrespective of whether that person is pregnant. Companies miss out on good talent when they exclude pregnant women from the workforce. Women should not have to choose between a career or beginning a family."
The EEOC's Phoenix District Office has jurisdiction for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and parts of New Mexico (including Albuquerque).
