Comment about pregnancy? Nope, just shut up!

Remind supervisors to never mention pregnancy in conjunction with hiring or assignments.

Recent case: Yollia was a substitute teacher for the New York City Department of Education. She became pregnant in the spring, but didn’t tell her supervisor, and she received numerous calls to substitute. By the time school began again in the fall, Yollia was visibly pregnant.

When she received no offers to substitute, she asked why. Her boss allegedly told Yollia she had heard about her pregnancy and didn’t assign her any work because she didn’t want to be liable for any harm.

Yollia sued for sex discrimination.

The court said the supervisor’s comments, if true, were direct evidence of sex discrimination. It ordered a trial. (Cameron v. New York City Department of Education et al., SD NY, 2018)