Pregnant Oregon Woman Fired For Restroom Breaks Sues for $400K

An Oregon woman is suing her former high-tech employer for more than $400,000, contending she was fired while pregnant with her second child after being told she took too many restroom breaks.

The Oregonian reported that according to a lawsuit filed in Circuit Court, Dawn Steckmann and other employees had never been told they needed to clock out before using the restroom at Maxim Integrated Products, a company that produces wafers for wireless devices in the Portland suburb of Beaverton.

The lawsuit says that when Steckmann was pregnant with her first child in 2011, she asked her supervisor if she should clock out during restroom breaks because her pregnancy was causing her to urinate more frequently. The suit states that her supervisor said that wasn’t necessary.

The lawsuit says her restroom visits were even more frequent during her second pregnancy in 2013 because of a bladder condition.

Maxim lawyer Melissa Healy declined comment, citing the pending litigation.