Philadelphia, PA April 2019
Attorneys Jamie L. Ford and William Rieser from the law firm of The Gold Law Firm P.C. won a unanimous jury verdict in federal court on behalf of Jana Ratzenbek in a pregnancy discrimination and retaliation case against her former employer, OKNA Windows Corporation (“OKNA”).
Ms. Ratzenbek was employed by OKNA as a Customer Service Representative. In January 2015, she informed her employer that she was pregnant and that her delivery date would be in late-July. However, OKNA failed to notify Ms. Ratzenbek about her rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), or properly designate her maternity leave as FMLA leave.
When she returned from her maternity leave in October, Ms. Ratzenbek discovered that she had been replaced by two (2) new employees who were hired in August. Rather than restore Ms. Ratzenbek to her Customer Service Representative position, OKNA demoted her to a Receptionist position.
After registering multiple complaints of discrimination and requesting to return to her previous position, OKNA terminated Ms. Ratzenbek’s employment in January of 2016.
The case was heard in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania before the Honorable Richard A. Lloret. The jury unanimously found that OKNA interfered with Ms. Ratzenbek’s FMLA rights, retaliated against her for exercising her rights under the FMLA, and discriminated against her because of her sex/pregnancy. The jury awarded punitive damages to Ms. Ratzenbek, and the judge presiding over the case will now determine the amount of back wages, front pay, and attorney fees.
Attorneys at the Philadelphia employment law firm of The Gold Law Firm P.C. strive to achieve justice and fairness in employment law matters such as discrimination, sexual harassment, and whistleblower issues as well as civil rights litigation. Pregnancy discrimination is just one of the many forms of employment discrimination that the firm’s lawyers tackle. To schedule a free and confidential consultation, call 215-569-1999 or visit the firm’s website. The firm handles cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey from their offices in Philadelphia and Pennsauken, New Jersey
