Bridgeport Firefighter Files Discrimination Suit Over Pregnancy

Regina Scates, 37, says the department discriminated against her when she became pregnant.

A Bridgeport firefighter has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit saying she was discriminated against when she became pregnant.

Bridgeport firefighter Regina Scates is alleging violations of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act.

The 37-year-old Scates says the city unfairly disciplined her last year for taking pregnancy-related sick days and then forced her to take an unpaid maternity leave despite providing unlimited paid sick leave for non-pregnancy-related physical disabilities.

She says she was still capable of working when she was placed on leave. She's seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Bridgeport public safety spokesman William Kaempffer says the lawsuit will be addressed at the appropriate time and place. He says Scates "never missed a single day of pay" during her pregnancy or since her child's birth.
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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