Woman Says She Was Fired for Taking Frequent Bathroom Breaks During Pregnancy, Files $400,000 Lawsuit

A woman’s story about suing her employer after allegedly being fired for taking frequent bathroom breaks during pregnancy is getting renewed attention on Reddit, leaving many shocked she had to deal with such circumstances.

Reddit user u/Iambhalo shared details of the story, which was initially published by the Daily Mail, involving an Oregon woman who sought $400,000 from her employer, Maxim Integrated Products.

The Woman Was Pregnant With Her Second Child

According to the Daily Mail, the woman was working for a high-tech employer while pregnant with her second child. During the time she was working for Maxim Integrated Products, she allegedly took several bathroom breaks, which she said were related to her pregnancy, but alleges she was later terminated because of them.

The woman said that during her first pregnancy, which was in 2011, she worked for the company but says she was never told she needed to clock out to take a bathroom break.

Her second pregnancy came in 2013, and this time, she claims in her lawsuit, per the Daily Mail, that she was suffering from a bladder condition that was brought on by her first pregnancy. She also appeared to still be under the impression that she didn’t need to clock out for such breaks. The outlet says the lawsuit also states that “she would not even have had time to clock out to use the restroom without an accident.”

According to the Daily Mail the woman was later called into a meeting with her supervisor and human resources manager and questioned about why she wasn’t clocking out. According to some reports, her supervisor allegedly claimed they did inform her that she would need to clock out for such breaks. Because, according to the human resources manager, they reportedly claimed that “for all he knew, she could be watching movies in the bathroom,” the Daily Mail writes.

After the woman was reportedly let go, she then filed a lawsuit against the company seeking over $400,000 for lost wages, benefits, and emotional distress. She also sought compensation for damage to her reputation, the Daily Mail reports.

According to the outlet, she had worked for the company for 10 years and even asked to have her job back working as a fabrication technician. While one commenter claimed the case was settled out of court, another was relieved she didn’t have to deal with such an issue, writing, “I’m only 7 weeks along and pee pretty much every hour. Thank god I work from home.”

Others questioned why she wanted her job back, all things considered, one commenter suggested a reason, and wrote “She’s been doing the job at the same company for 10 years, and she wants her job back, it’s because she knows with absolute certainty she can do the job perfectly.”

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the allegations in the lawsuit. The article is based on court claims reported by the Daily Mail and discussion surrounding the case on Reddit.