Wisconsin Company Sued for Firing Pregnant Woman

By Matt Green

Published on September 12, 2005

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a discrimination lawsuit against Mount Morris Mutual Insurance Co. for dismissing Charissa Black Slife.

The company plans to fight the allegations, contending it didn't fire Slife for being pregnant.

Around December 2002, Slife visited a nurse practitioner, complaining she felt dizzy and nauseous when working in the company file room. She worked all day in this room -- a fireproof vault that's 2 to 8 degrees warmer than the rest of the office.

Slife told the nurse her pregnancy, as well as the warm room, may have contributed to her dizziness.

The nurse wrote a note for Slife, requesting she work in a cooler part of the office. After receiving the note, company President Howard Fenske fired her.

In 2004, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development ruled that Slife was a victim of discrimination. The department said Slife was entitled to back pay and attorney's fees. Mount Morris Mutual Insurance Co. is appealing the decision.

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