EEOC Sues Security Assurance Management for Sex and Pregnancy Discrimination

WASHINGTON – Security Assurance Management, Inc. (SAM), a security firm operating in the Washington area, violated federal law when it removed a special police officer from her assignment because its client did not want her working at its jobsite while pregnant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed Jan. 21.

According to the lawsuit, SAM failed to provide the employee with both breaks for pumping breast milk and an appropriate place to pump. The lack of accommodations caused the employee to leak through her uniform and forced her to pump in her car, resulting in missed work. After the employee complained about the situation, SAM disciplined her for the absences, and eventually refused to schedule her for any shifts.

The firm’s alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including pregnancy and pregnancy-related medical conditions, and retaliation for opposing sex discrimination.

The alleged conduct also violated the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related medical conditions absent undue hardship, prohibits discrimination for requesting or needing pregnancy-related accommodations, and prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for requesting pregnancy-related accommo­dations and from interfering with employees’ rights under the PWFA. 

“The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires employers to work with employees and to accommodate their lactation needs, including providing suitable places and times for lactation,” said EEOC Philadelphia Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence.

The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Security Assurance Management, Inc., Case No. 1:25-cv-00181-RC) in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process

Mindy E. Weinstein, director of the EEOC’s Washington Field Office, said, “The PWFA provides critical protections to pregnant employees and employees requiring pregnancy-related accommodations. The EEOC is committed to vigorously protecting and enforcing these employees’ rights under the PWFA.”

The PWFA went into effect June 27, 2023; resources for employees, employers, and health care providers are available at: https://www.eeoc.gov/wysk/what-you-should-know-about-pregnant-workers-fairness-act. For more information on pregnancy discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/pregnancy-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Washington Field Office has jurisdiction over Washington, D.C., and parts of Virginia. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office prosecute discrimination cases within the jurisdiction of the Washington Field Office.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.