D&K Suit City / DDK To Pay $20,000 To Settle EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination Suit

Federal Agency Charged Retailer Discriminated Against Worker Because of Her Pregnancy

D&K Suit City,  LLC, an Atlanta  retailer of discounted suits, and its corporate parent, DDK, Inc., will pay $20,000  to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal  Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced last week.

In its lawsuit, filed on Sept. 23, 2010 in U.S. District  Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division (Case No.: 1:10-CV-03056-AT-SSC),  the EEOC charged that D&K Suit City's manager reduced the number of hours  assigned to its employee, Linda Bell, and subsequently fired her because of her  pregnancy. Such alleged conduct violates  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination  Act (PDA), which prohibits employers from subjecting employees to discrimination due to pregnancy. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

The consent decree settling the suit, in addition to  the monetary relief, includes provisions for equal employment opportunity  training and reporting and posting of anti-discrimination notices. In the lawsuit and consent decree, D&K Suit City,  LLC and DDK, Inc., denied any liability or wrongdoing.

"The  EEOC is satisfied that this employer now understands that employment decisions  should not be made on the basis of pregnancy status, and will make future  efforts to remain in compliance with the law," said Robert Dawkins, regional  attorney for the EEOC's Atlanta District Office.

The EEOC enforces  federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available  on its website at www.eeoc.gov.