The agency announced the case, EEOC v. BestBet Jacksonville, Inc., No. 3:26-cv-00704, on April 1, 2026. According to the EEOC, BestBet maintained a policy requiring employees to resign if they missed two weeks or more of work and did not otherwise qualify for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
One woman with a high-risk pregnancy asked to miss six shifts over a two-and-a-half-week period in January 2025 on her doctor's advice, the agency said. BestBet forced her to quit, according to the suit. The EEOC said the company forced a second employee out in February 2025 after she requested leave to have her baby.
"Federal law makes it unlawful for employers to refuse to make a reasonable accommodation for the known limitations of a pregnant worker, absent undue hardship," said Kristen Foslid, regional attorney for the EEOC's Miami District Office. "Employers must engage in an interactive dialogue with employees to find suitable accommodations, rather than simply denying the requests outright."
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires employers to reasonably accommodate workers' and applicants' known limitations related to pregnancy and childbirth, absent undue hardship. The statute covers accommodations that require modifying an employer's leave policies, according to the agency.
The EEOC said it filed suit after attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
"In this case, multiple women requested and were denied reasonable accommodations," said Evangeline Hawthorne, the EEOC's Miami District Director. "The EEOC will not hesitate to litigate cases where employers blatantly ignore federal law."
The Miami District Office has jurisdiction over Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.