Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, EEOC NEWS—Agency sues Atlanta-area plumbing company for alleged pregnancy discrimination, (Jul 30, 2026)
Organizations Mentioned:U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
By WK Editorial Staff
A manager allegedly said he wanted to “get rid of” a worker because she was pregnant.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently filed a federal lawsuit against Guice Services Inc., which operates as Rooter ProXpress, alleging the Atlanta-area plumbing services company unlawfully fired a customer service representative because of her pregnancy.
Fired day after she said she needed time off. According to the EEOC, in May 2024 the employee experienced pregnancy-related medical conditions, including high blood pressure, nausea, and round ligament pain and one day she notified her supervisor that she needed to take the next day off to address those symptoms. The agency alleges that on that following day, a manager expressed a desire to “get rid of” the employee because she was “pregnant and having a baby,” and the company subsequently terminated her employment.
The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Georgia, contends that the termination violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978.
Failed conciliation efforts. The EEOC brought the lawsuit after attempting to resolve the matter through its administrative conciliation process before litigation.
“Firing an employee because she is pregnant is indefensible and unlawful,” Marcus G. Keegan, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “Federal law plainly prohibits employers from firing employees because of their pregnancy.”
Darrell E. Graham, director of the EEOC’s Atlanta District, emphasized the agency’s commitment to enforcing workplace protections for pregnant workers.
“Pregnancy is protected in the workplace by federal law,” Graham said. “The EEOC is committed to robustly enforcing employees’ rights during pregnancy.”
Rooter ProXpress provides plumbing services throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area.
The case is EEOC v. Guice Services, Inc. dba Rooter ProXpress, Case No. 1:26-cv-4040.
News: AgencyNews LitigationNewsTrends PregnancyDiscrimination Discrimination Discharge