Supreme Court Rules for Plaintiff in Pregnancy Discrimination Case

  AAUW’s Legal Advocacy Fund (LAF) supported the case in which the Supreme Court recently decided in favor of the plaintiff, 6 – 3.  Peggy Young was the plaintiff in the case imagesYoung v. United Parcel Service (UPS). Young sued UPS after the company rejected her request for medically necessary and temporary light-duty work during her pregnancy. Evidence showed that UPS had accommodated male workers with light duties when they were temporarily disabled. Young was forced to take unpaid leave and lost both her health care and income at a critical time. Lower courts sided with UPS. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer delivered the majority opinion, which essentially tells employers that if they are accommodating most non-pregnant workers with injuries or disabilities while refusing to accommodate most pregnant workers who need it, they are likely violating the Pregnancy Discrimination Act by placing a significant burden on pregnant workers.