Regency Park Assisted Living & Memory Care to Pay $39,000 to Settle EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination Suit

TAMPA – Excel Hospitality Group LLC, doing business as Regency Park Assisted Living & Memorial Care, an assisted living facility in Eustis, Fla., will pay $39,000 and furnish other relief to settle a pregnancy discrim­ination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commis­sion (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to EEOC’s suit, Regency Park offered a woman a position as a caregiver. While she was in the process of filling out paperwork, the woman mentioned that she was pregnant. Shortly after, Regency Park rescinded the offer and informed her that it decided to go with someone else for the caregiver position.

Pregnancy discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division (EEOC v. Excel Hospitality Group LLC, Case No. 5:19-cv-591) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

In addition to $39,000 in damages, the three-year consent decree settling the suit requires Regency Park to adopt and distribute an updated policy against pregnancy discrimination, conduct training on pregnancy discrimination, provide semi-annual reports to the EEOC, and post a notice.

“Employers should not penalize women for having children,” said Robert E. Weisberg, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Miami District. “The EEOC will continue to seek vigorous enforcement of the laws that protect women from this kind of intentional and harmful discrimination.”

The EEOC’s Tampa Field Office director, Evangeline Hawthorne, added, “We are pleased that in addition to monetary relief for the harmed individual, this settlement helps ensure that other pregnant women have an equal opportunity to be hired.”

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.