The federal lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, charges BestBet with maintaining a strict policy requiring employees to resign if they missed two weeks or more of work and did not qualify for Family Medical Leave Act coverage. The company allegedly forced at least two pregnant workers to quit in early 2025 after they requested accommodations for pregnancy-related medical needs.
According to the EEOC's complaint, one woman with a high-risk pregnancy requested to miss six shifts over a two-and-a-half-week period in January 2025 on her doctor's advice, but BestBet forced her to quit under its attendance policy. A second employee was allegedly forced to leave in February 2025 after requesting leave to give birth. "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.
The lawsuit seeks to compel BestBet to modify its leave policies to comply with the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which requires employers to reasonably accommodate pregnancy-related limitations unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. The law specifically covers accommodations that may require modification of an employer's policies limiting use of leave. The EEOC is also likely seeking back pay, reinstatement, and other relief for the affected workers.
The case represents part of the EEOC's broader enforcement push under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which took effect in June 2023. The law filled gaps in existing pregnancy discrimination protections by explicitly requiring reasonable accommodations, similar to those required under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The EEOC filed the lawsuit after unsuccessful attempts to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
"In this case, multiple women requested and were denied reasonable accommodations," said EEOC Miami District Director Evangeline Hawthorne. "The EEOC will not hesitate to litigate cases where employers blatantly ignore federal law." The agency emphasized that employers must engage in an interactive dialogue with employees to find suitable accommodations rather than simply denying requests outright.
The litigation highlights ongoing challenges many employers face in understanding and implementing the requirements of the relatively new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The law requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, marking a significant expansion of workplace protections for pregnant workers beyond traditional anti-discrimination frameworks.