A Florida EMS Company Settle a Pregnancy and Discrimination Lawsuit
Orlando-based Rural/Metro Corporation of Florida, doing business as American Medical Response, Rural/Metro Corporation, and Lifefleet Southeast, Inc., who provide emergency medical services (EMS), have agreed to pay $55,000 to settle a pregnancy and disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the defendant companies violated federal law when they refused to provide a pregnant emergency medical technician with a pregnancy-related disability with a reasonable accommodation such as light duty, even though such accommodations were provided to other employees similar in their ability or inability to work.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibit discrimination based on an employee’s sex, including pregnancy, or an employee’s disability, including pregnancy-related disabilities. The EEOC filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division (EEOC v. Rural/Metro Corporation of Florida, d/b/a American Medical Response, et al, Civil Action No. 6:20-cv-1678-Orl-40EJK), after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
