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EEOC sues staffing firm for alleged pregnancy discrimination

September 17, 2015

QSI Business Solutions, a staffing firm in Dalton, Ga., violated federal law when it refused to hire or place an applicant after learning that she was pregnant, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged in a lawsuit it announced yesterday.

According to the EEOC, QSI Business Solutions called Layla Medeiros in for an open position. QSI’s staffing coordinator saw Medeiros and asked if she was pregnant. When she confirmed that she was, the staffing coordinator told Medeiros that QSI could not hire or place her for the job opening because the job was a warehouse job and her pregnancy made her a safety risk. QSI then sent Medeiros away and did not call her for any future openings, the EEOC claims.

Gordon Berger, an attorney with Ford Harrison representing QSI, said the company has not yet been served yet with the complaint.

“QSI denies any of the allegations that were raised in the complaint as we understand it,” Berger said. “Since it’s a pending matter, I really can’t comment on any specifics or details.”

The EEOC filed suit in US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Rome Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages for Medeiros, as well as injunctive relief designed to prevent such discrimination in the future.