Urologic Specialists of Oklahoma to Pay $90,000 in EEOC Pregnancy and Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

OKLAHOMA CITY – Urologic Specialists of Oklahoma, Inc., a medical practice that operates five clinics employing two dozen physicians in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, will pay $90,000 and furnish other relief to settle a pregnancy and disability discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s suit, in 2023, Urologic Specialists denied reasonable accommodations to a medical assistant at its Tulsa facility during the final trimester of her high-risk pregnancy. Rather than allow the medical assistant to sit, take short breaks, or work part-time, as recommended by her doctor to protect her health and safety, the medical practice forced her to take unpaid leave, refused to guarantee her job when she returned to work following the birth of her child, and refused to guarantee that it would provide breaks for her to express breast milk. When the assistant stated she could not return to work without those guaranteed breaks, Urologic Specialists fired her.

“Federal law provides robust protections for pregnant women and new mothers in the workplace,” said Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC’s St. Louis District. “Employers must follow the law, train their supervisors, and ensure that they provide required accommodations to women who are pregnant or have pregnancy-related disabilities.”

Such alleged conduct violates the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and the Americas with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibit pregnancy and disability discrimination. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Urologic Specialists of Oklahoma, Inc., Case No. 24-cv-00452-JFJ) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

“The EEOC vigorously protects pregnant women in the workplace,” said David S. Davis, district director of the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office. “The EEOC is committed to ensuring that expectant and new mothers will not be denied equal employment opportunities because of pregnancy.”

In addition to the required monetary relief, the four-year consent decree settling the suit obligates Urologic Specialists to designate personnel tasked with ensuring compliance with the PWFA and ADA going forward, adopt strong policies and procedures for the provision of reasonable accommodations for pregnant or disabled employees, and train supervisors and other employees. The decree also requires Urologic Specialists to adopt and use a system to track and maintain all requests for pregnancy or disability accommodations, post a notice to employees about their federal right to be free from pregnancy and disability discrimination, and report periodically to the EEOC.

Joshua C. Stockton, lead EEOC trial attorney, said, “The PWFA’s requirements are simple and fair. The policies and procedures required by this decree are a model that all employers should follow to ensure that pregnant women are never forced to choose between their jobs and their health and safety.”

For more information about pregnancy discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/pregnancy-discrimination.

The EEOC’s St. Louis District Office has jurisdiction over Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and a portion of southern Illinois, with area offices in Kansas City, Kansas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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.