J.C. Penney Corp. has agreed to pay $40,000 to a Georgia woman who allegedly was denied a job after she informed a company salon manager that she was pregnant, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The major retailer did not admit to any liability or wrongdoing as part of the settlement, but it did agree to equal employment opportunity training and reporting, and posting of anti-discrimination notices, the EEOC said.
Efforts were being made to reach J.C. Penney for comment.
The applicant who sought the job at one of the retailer’s hair salons in Brunswick was not identified.
The EEOC filed a lawsuit against J.C. Penney last March, claiming the company violated the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating against pregnant women.
“The EEOC is pleased that J.C. Penney Corporation agreed to resolve this matter quickly and to take the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the law,” said Bernice Williams Kimbrough, district director for the EEOC’s Atlanta District Office.
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