The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal lawsuit against QSR Pita USA Inc. on Wednesday, alleging the restaurant chain fired a pregnant employee after she requested workplace accommodations for pregnancy-related nausea.
The federal agency claims the Sioux Falls Pita Pit location violated employment law when managers terminated the worker for what they called the “distraction” of her pregnancy, according to court documents filed in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota.
The employee had requested to continue working from home and asked for a short leave period to manage her pregnancy symptoms, the EEOC said. Instead of providing reasonable accommodations, the company dismissed her.
Violations of federal employment law
The lawsuit alleges QSR Pita USA Inc. violated both Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex-based discrimination, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which bars discrimination based on disability status.
The EEOC named QSR Pita Inc., its shareholders and successor company BubbaMax LLC as defendants in the case, numbered 4:25-cv-04109.
Federal investigators attempted to resolve the matter through administrative conciliation before filing the lawsuit, following standard EEOC procedure for discrimination cases.
Seeking damages and workplace changes
The commission seeks monetary compensation for the affected employee, including both compensatory and punitive damages. The agency also wants court-ordered changes to prevent similar discrimination at the restaurant chain.
The case highlights ongoing workplace challenges for pregnant employees seeking reasonable accommodations. Employment attorneys say pregnancy discrimination cases often involve employers’ failure to provide temporary work modifications that would allow expectant mothers to continue working safely.
EEOC enforcement jurisdiction
The EEOC’s Chicago District Office oversees employment discrimination enforcement across Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and North and South Dakota. The office maintains additional locations in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.
As the primary federal agency handling private sector employment discrimination cases, the EEOC investigates and litigates violations of federal anti-discrimination laws. The agency shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division for public sector employers.
The case represents the latest in a series of pregnancy discrimination lawsuits filed by the federal agency as it works to enforce workplace protections for expectant mothers across various industries.
