Pregnancy discrimination lawsuits are legal claims filed when an employer treats a pregnant employee or applicant unfavorably because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth. These cases arise under federal law, primarily Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), which explicitly prohibit employment discrimination based on pregnancy. In 2024 alone, the EEOC received 2,729 formal pregnancy discrimination complaints, reflecting a persistent problem across industries despite decades of legal protections. Recent cases show the scope of this issue. In April 2026, a federal jury in Manhattan found DLA Piper not liable in a pregnancy discrimination case brought by ex-associate Anisha Mehta, who claimed she was fired in 2022 after requesting parental leave while six months pregnant.
The very fact that this case reached a jury trial demonstrates how litigation-intensive these disputes have become. Meanwhile, former employees continue to prevail: the Customs and Border Protection agency agreed to pay $45 million to settle pregnancy discrimination claims, and California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation agreed to a $5.1 million settlement covering over 1,500 female correctional officers and employees who were denied pregnancy accommodations. Pregnancy discrimination affects women across all industries and employment levels, from entry-level workers to senior professionals. The consequences extend beyond individual job loss—they create systemic barriers that discourage women from advancing in their careers while pregnant or planning families. Understanding your rights, recognizing illegal conduct, and knowing how to pursue claims are essential for protecting yourself in the workplace.
Table of Contents
- WHAT CONSTITUTES PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION AND WHEN CAN YOU SUE?
- RECENT PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION CASES AND SETTLEMENTS
- EEOC COMPLAINTS AND PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION STATISTICS
- YOUR RIGHTS UNDER PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION LAWS
- COMMON PATTERNS IN PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS
- SETTLEMENT AMOUNTS AND WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
- WHAT’S HAPPENING IN 2026 AND BEYOND
- Conclusion
WHAT CONSTITUTES PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION AND WHEN CAN YOU SUE?
Pregnancy discrimination occurs when an employer treats you unfavorably in hiring, promotion, pay, job assignments, training, discipline, or termination because of pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy-related medical conditions. Under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, pregnancy-related conditions must be treated the same as other medical conditions with respect to benefits, leave, and other terms of employment. For example, if your employer allows employees to take unpaid leave for medical treatments, they cannot deny you the same leave for prenatal care or treatment of pregnancy-related complications. Similarly, if your company accommodates employees with disabilities limiting their ability to lift heavy objects, they must provide comparable accommodations for pregnancy-related limitations. You can file a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit if you experience adverse employment actions because of your pregnancy status. This includes being fired, denied a promotion, passed over for desirable assignments, subjected to harassment, or facing discipline more severe than similarly situated non-pregnant employees. A critical warning: many women don’t realize that subtle discrimination counts.
If an employer suddenly demotes you after learning of your pregnancy, removes you from client-facing roles, or creates a hostile work environment through comments about your appearance or fitness for the job, these actions can form the basis of a lawsuit. The burden of proof often requires showing that pregnancy was a contributing factor in the employer’s decision, not necessarily the sole reason. The legal standard has been tested in courts repeatedly. In the iPRO Dental Laboratory case from April 2026, the company fired an employee within days of learning of her pregnancy, leading to a $30,000 EEOC settlement. This case illustrates the principle that temporal proximity—termination occurring very soon after disclosure of pregnancy—can establish discrimination. However, employers can defend themselves by proving they would have made the same decision for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons. This is why documentation matters: keeping records of performance reviews, communications with supervisors, and the timeline of employment decisions strengthens your case.
RECENT PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION CASES AND SETTLEMENTS
The settlements reached in recent years reveal both the prevalence of pregnancy discrimination and the financial stakes involved. The Customs and Border Protection federal settlement of $45 million stands as one of the largest pregnancy discrimination agreements on record, addressing systemic denial of accommodations and benefits to pregnant employees. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s $5.1 million settlement, covering over 1,500 female officers and employees, demonstrates how institutional policies can discriminate against pregnant workers. These aren’t isolated incidents—they reflect patterns of employers systematically treating pregnancy as an inconvenience rather than a protected condition. In December 2025, TEG Staffing and Eastridge Workforce Solutions paid $185,000 to settle pregnancy discrimination charges covering multiple female employees affected since 2019. Walgreens, a major national employer, paid $205,000 in March 2024 for pregnancy and disability discrimination.
Pemberton Township Schools settled a case involving a former English Language Arts teacher for $125,000 in August 2025, part of three settlements totaling $218,000 since 2022, indicating that pregnancy discrimination occurs even in educational institutions. Kurt Bluemel, Inc., a Maryland plant nursery, paid $40,000 in an EEOC pregnancy discrimination settlement, showing the issue crosses industry and company size boundaries. One important limitation of these settlements: they typically come only after lengthy investigations, administrative complaints, and often litigation. On average, the EEOC process takes months to years, and 74% of pregnancy discrimination charges result in zero monetary benefit or workplace change. Of charges that do reach settlement, the average benefit is only $17,976, with a median of $8,000. This disparity between high-profile large settlements and typical outcomes means that while some women recover substantial amounts, many others receive minimal compensation even when their claims have merit.
EEOC COMPLAINTS AND PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION STATISTICS
The numbers tell a troubling story about the persistence of pregnancy discrimination in the American workplace. The EEOC received 2,729 formal pregnancy discrimination complaints in 2024, continuing a long-standing pattern of violations. Historically, pregnancy discrimination charges increased from 3,900 charges in fiscal year 1997 to 5,342 charges in fiscal year 2013—a 37% increase over 16 years. This growth suggests either increasing violations or increasing awareness of legal protections, or more likely, both. Women of color face disproportionate pregnancy discrimination. According to EEOC data, pregnancy discrimination claims by women of color increased 76% from FY 1996 to FY 2005, compared to a 25% overall increase during the same period.
This disparity reflects intersectional discrimination where pregnancy combines with racial or ethnic bias, compounding the harmful effects. A woman of color who becomes pregnant may face not only pregnancy-related discrimination but also stereotypes and prejudice based on race, creating a compounded barrier to equal employment treatment. The EEOC’s litigation efforts provide additional context. Since FY 2011, the agency has filed 44 lawsuits for pregnancy discrimination under Title VII, recovering approximately $4.4 million for victims. While this represents significant enforcement activity, the relatively modest total recovery compared to the number of complaints filed underscores a critical gap: the EEOC cannot pursue every complaint, meaning many valid claims go unresolved through the agency. Workers often must choose between filing an individual lawsuit with its attendant costs and risks, or accepting the EEOC process’s uncertain outcome.
YOUR RIGHTS UNDER PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION LAWS
Federal law provides multiple layers of protection for pregnant workers. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act explicitly prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, enacted in 1978, clarified that pregnancy discrimination is a form of sex discrimination. Additionally, the Americans with Disabilities Act may protect workers with pregnancy-related conditions that substantially limit major life activities, and the Family and Medical Leave Act provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for pregnancy-related reasons at covered employers. Your employer must treat pregnancy-related conditions the same as other medical conditions. If your company provides medical leave, accommodations, or modified duties for other employees with temporary medical limitations, they must do so for pregnancy.
This includes allowing you to work from home if your company permits it for other employees with similar restrictions, providing ergonomic modifications to your workspace, allowing more frequent breaks, or temporarily reassigning you to less strenuous duties. Crucially, employers cannot force you to take leave or terminate you simply because you are pregnant and can still perform your job duties. Many employers violate this by assuming pregnant workers cannot continue working at full capacity. Retaliation protection is equally important. You cannot be punished for requesting accommodations, complaining about pregnancy discrimination, or participating in EEOC complaints or investigations. In practice, some employers retaliate through negative performance reviews shortly after pregnancy disclosure, removal from projects or promotions, or hostile treatment from supervisors. A comparison worth noting: most other medical discrimination cases have clearer retaliation protections, yet pregnancy discrimination retaliation remains common, suggesting employers sometimes underestimate the legal risks.
COMMON PATTERNS IN PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS
Pregnancy discrimination claims typically fall into recognizable patterns that recur across industries. The most common involves sudden termination shortly after an employee announces pregnancy or requests accommodations. In the DLA Piper case, Anisha Mehta alleged she was fired after requesting parental leave while six months pregnant—a timing that suggested pregnancy was the decisive factor even if the employer claimed performance issues. Other patterns include denial of accommodations available to similarly situated employees, reassignment to less desirable positions or roles, suspension of promotions or advancement opportunities, and creation of a hostile work environment through comments about appearance, fitness, or capability. A warning about documentation: many pregnancies are announced verbally in conversations with supervisors or HR, leaving no written record of the announcement date. This creates difficulty in establishing temporal proximity between the disclosure and adverse action. Employers can claim they didn’t know about the pregnancy when making employment decisions.
To protect yourself, follow any pregnancy announcement with written confirmation via email to HR or supervisors, explicitly stating the announcement date and expected date of birth. Request any accommodations in writing. Keep records of performance reviews, email communications, meeting notes, and any comments about your pregnancy or appearance. This documentation becomes crucial if you later need to establish that discrimination occurred. The financial incentive structure creates perverse outcomes. An employer might reason that paying a $30,000 or $40,000 settlement is cheaper than accommodating a pregnant employee for several months and managing her eventual parental leave. Unless they face substantial consequences, some employers treat pregnancy discrimination as a cost of doing business. This is particularly true in high-turnover industries where individual employee relationships matter less to the employer’s bottom line.
SETTLEMENT AMOUNTS AND WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
Settlement values in pregnancy discrimination cases vary widely based on factors including the strength of evidence, duration of discrimination, financial losses incurred, and whether the employer’s conduct was egregious or represented isolated incidents. Small settlements like iPRO Dental Laboratory’s $30,000 typically involve shorter tenure, more limited damages, and single instances of discrimination. Larger individual settlements like the $125,000 paid to the Pemberton Township Schools teacher reflect longer employment periods, more substantial lost wages, and emotional distress from extended discriminatory treatment. The national average settlement of $17,976 (with a median of $8,000) demonstrates that most individual claims settle for far less than high-profile cases suggest.
A limitation of this data: it includes only claims that reached settlement through the EEOC process, excluding cases that went to trial (like the DLA Piper case where the jury found no liability) or claims that were rejected. Some women lose at trial despite legitimate discrimination, facing significant legal fees with no recovery. Others accept low settlements to avoid prolonged litigation, accepting less than their actual damages to move forward with life. Budget for legal representation costs, which typically range from $150 to $400+ per hour, and prepare for investigations and depositions that may extend over months or years.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN 2026 AND BEYOND
Recent 2026 cases illustrate that pregnancy discrimination remains a live issue despite legal protections in place for decades. The April 2026 DLA Piper jury verdict, finding the firm not liable despite Anisha Mehta’s pregnancy discrimination claims, shows that not all cases succeed even when pregnancy timing seems suspicious. The same month brought the Pillsbury lawsuit alleging both race and pregnancy discrimination by a former in-house recruiter, and the iPRO Dental Laboratory settlement for firing an employee within days of learning of her pregnancy. These cases show that litigation continues across industries, company sizes, and employment levels.
Looking forward, several trends appear likely to persist. Pregnancy discrimination complaints will probably continue at elevated levels as more women become aware of their rights and EEOC enforcement continues. Settlements may trend toward larger amounts as organizations recognize reputational costs and institutional liability. However, without changes in workplace culture—where pregnancy is still sometimes viewed as a liability rather than a normal life event—these cases will continue appearing. Individual workers remain the best enforcers of their own rights by documenting discrimination, reporting it promptly, and pursuing claims when necessary.
Conclusion
Pregnancy discrimination lawsuits address a persistent problem in American employment law: the treatment of pregnant workers as less valuable or less capable than non-pregnant employees. Federal law clearly prohibits this discrimination, yet 2,729 complaints reached the EEOC in 2024, with many more going unreported. Recent cases and settlements—from the $45 million CBP agreement to individual cases of $30,000 to $125,000—demonstrate both that violations occur regularly and that workers can recover meaningful compensation when they pursue claims.
If you believe you’ve experienced pregnancy discrimination, document everything immediately, report the discrimination to HR or appropriate authorities in writing, and consider consulting an employment attorney. The EEOC offers a free complaint process, though outcomes are uncertain. You have legal protections in place; using them sends a signal that pregnancy discrimination carries consequences. Your willingness to hold employers accountable protects not only yourself but contributes to workplace cultures where pregnant women can work with dignity and equal treatment.