Security Assurance Management, Inc. to Pay $45,000 in EEOC Sex and Pregnancy Discrimination Suit

WASHINGTON – Security Assurance Management, Inc. (SAM, Inc.), a security firm operating in the Washington, D.C. area, will pay $45,000 to settle a pregnancy and sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the lawsuit, SAM, Inc. removed a special police officer from her job assignment because its client did not want her reporting to the jobsite while pregnant. When the employee returned to work after giving birth, SAM, Inc. failed to provide necessary breaks for pumping or an appropriate place to pump, causing the employee to leak through her uniform and forcing her to pump in her car.

The lawsuit further alleged that the employee was forced to miss work due to her need to pump and the lack of necessary accommodations. After the employee complained about the situation, SAM, Inc. disciplined her for the absences and, starting in December 2023, refused to schedule her for any shifts, the EEOC said.

“Fighting pregnancy discrimination is a priority for the EEOC,” said Debra M. Lawrence, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office “Employers must comply with federal law, and we stand ready to assist employees whose rights have been violated. We are pleased that SAM, Inc. has agreed to an early resolution of this litigation.”

The conduct alleged in the complaint violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (PDA), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including pregnancy and pregnancy-related medical conditions, and retaliation for opposing pregnancy 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 against employees requesting or needing pregnancy-related accommodations, and protects employees from retaliation following the exercise of protected rights, including requests for reasonable pregnancy-related accommodations, in accordance with the PWFA.

“The PWFA provides robust protections against pregnancy discrimination for workers,” said Mindy E. Weinstein, director of the EEOC’s Washington Field Office. "The EEOC is committed to providing equally robust enforcement to ensure the rights of employees to request reasonable accommodations, absent undue hardship, under the PWFA are respected and upheld."

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

In addition to providing the former employee monetary relief, the three-year consent decree settling the suit signed Feb. 17 provides for systemic non-monetary relief intended to prevent further discrimination. This includes the implementation of policies detailing the process by which employees can request accommodations for pregnancy-related medical conditions; employee training on SAM, Inc.’s, obligations under Title VII, the PDA, and the PWFA, and on its accommodation procedures; and a requirement that SAM, Inc. report to the EEOC any denials of reasonable accommodations for an employee’s pregnancy-related medical condition, and any complaints of pregnancy discrimination.

The PWFA went into effect June 27, 2023; resources for employees, employers, and healthcare 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 also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.