OKLAHOMA CITY — Continental Inn, a hotel group operating multiple locations in Oklahoma and Texas through various entities, including Continental Inn III, LLC, Continental Inn, LLC, and Continental Blackwell II, LLC, violated federal law when it harassed, demoted and fired a pregnant employee working at a hotel located at 4545 W. White Avenue, Blackwell, Oklahoma, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, after the employee disclosed her pregnancy, a corporate manager immediately began subjecting her to near-daily harassment based on unfounded and sexist stereotypes about pregnancy. He then demoted her in a further effort to harass her and encourage her to quit. When she complained in June 2024 that she was being discriminated against because of her pregnancy, Continental Inn fired her three days later.

“Trying to force a pregnant employee to quit, and then firing her when she won’t, is not just unlawful, it’s unconscionable,” said Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC’s St. Louis District. “Congress made it clear almost 50 years ago that pregnancy discrimination is illegal sex discrimination, and the EEOC is committed to protecting the rights of pregnant women who want and need to work to provide for themselves and their growing families.”

The conduct alleged in the EEOC’s complaint violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (PDA), which prohibits discrimination because of sex, including pregnancy and childbirth, as well as retaliation for complaining about such discrimination. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Continental Inn III, et al., Case No. 5:26-cv-02667-J) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

David S. Davis, director of the EEOC’s St. Louis District, said, “Harassing a worker because she’s pregnant directly attacks her dignity and livelihood. No pregnant worker should be forced to endure stereotypes, intimidation, or retaliation simply because she is expecting a child.”

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

The EEOC’s St. Louis District Office has jurisdiction over discrimination charges and agency litigation in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and a portion of southern Illinois.

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.