Amazon has been recently sued by a former employee who claims that he was harassed and denied a promotion after telling supervisors that he was pregnant. Shaun Simmons, a transgender man, says that he told his supervisors Mike Menno and Tyler Houpt of his pregnancy in June of 2019.
Shortly after, Simmons reported that multiple employees of the Princeton fulfillment center questioned and harassed him regarding his condition. It was at this point that Simmons’s workplace lawyer revealed that Menno and Houpt started being over critical of Simmon’s work performance. Simmons believes this change in attitude was to get him demoted.
As any good pregnancy discrimination lawyer Los Angeles will instruct their client to do, Simmons spoke with Amazon’s human resources department about the incidents. Simmons was placed on a paid leave and, when he returned to work, he was demoted. His new position as an item picker, which requires lifting heavy items, was said to cause Simmons abdominal pain, according to his pregnancy discrimination attorney in the workplace.
Once consulting human resources for a second time regarding his abdominal pain from the new position, Simmons was placed back on paid leave. He was instructed that he would need to furnish a doctor’s note verifying his pregnancy-related condition. Simmon’s pregnancy discrimination attorney in the workplace does claim that the required documentation was submitted. However, Simmons didn’t receive any such accommodation for his condition.
For many readers, this raises the question of ” can you get fired for being pregnant in Los Angeles? “. There are various federal and state laws that prohibit the termination of an employee because they become pregnant. However, Simmons claims that Amazon has a long history of discriminating against pregnant and disabled individuals.
Simmon’s pregnancy discrimination lawyer Los Angeles notates in his suit that there have been dozens of lawsuits filed in the last six years against Amazon just in the state of New Jersey. A CNET investigation revealed that there were at least seven cases filed in California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Working with his workplace lawyer, Simmons is claiming harassment based on both his gender and his pregnancy condition. Specifically, this suit states that rights were violated under New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination. Apart from his initial claims, Simmons is also claiming workplace retaliation and failure to accommodate. Both Simmmon’s supervisors, Menno and Houpt, are named in his lawsuit.
Currently, Simmons is looking for reinstatement of his job alongside back pay, legal fees, punitive damages, and the restoration of his lost benefits. While the initial case was filed with the Mercer County Superior Court, it has been recently moved to the U.S. District Court For The District Of New Jersey. This move was made at the request of Amazon’s lawyers.
There’s no denying the fact that Simmon’s claim is unique in the sense that it includes both claims of pregnancy discrimination and anti-transgender bias. While this is a big case for transgender rights, it also addresses the question of ” can you get fired for being pregnant in Los Angeles? “. Only time will reveal the much-awaited outcome of this monumental case. Contact our employment attorney Los Angeles today for similar cases.
