Lawsuit on Board

Fired AutoNation worker sues company for pregnancy discrimination

Comments (0) By Laura Laughlin Thursday, Sep 28 2000

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Susan Grace of the Phoenix EEOC office says pregnancy discrimination cases are rare here, too, making up a small percentage of the 2,400 complaints filed annually. Exact numbers were not available.

The EEOC tried to negotiate a resolution with AutoNation, but Bailey says she wanted $300,000 in damages and AutoNation offered only $7,000 tops.

Casey McKee

Michelle Bailey holds Sydney, born seven months after she was fired.

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Last month, Bailey, represented by Tempe attorney Francis Fanning, filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages in federal court.

Fanning, who specializes in employment-law cases, says pregnancy discrimination cases are rare, but are more common among male-dominated professions.

"A lot of employers just don't know the law," he says.

Bailey says she and her husband hope to have another child. The next time she gets pregnant, she says, she won't feel any apprehension announcing the news.

"I'm not going to be scared anymore," she says, "because I know I'm in the right."