LUFKIN - A McDonald's employee has filed a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit that claims she was constructively discharged following an incident with the store manager.
Rachelle Coons filed suit against Wilmer E. May, doing business as Wil-May McDonald's No. 14773, on March 9 in the Eastern District of Texas, Lufkin Division.
Coons began working for McDonald's in 2006. She alleges that after she became pregnant in April 2010 the store manager began to sexually harass her. According to the lawsuit, the manager would slap Coons' buttocks and belittle her. After an incident on Oct. 22, 2010, in which the manager yelled at Coons, she clocked out and did not return to work, according to the suit
Coons states that she was constructively discharged because no reasonable pregnant employee would be expected to take the constant harassment to which she was subjected.
The defendants are accused of violating the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which prohibits sexual harassment because of pregnancy.
Coons is asking the court for an award of compensatory damages, punitive damages, an award of back pay and front pay, interest, court costs and attorney's fees.
The plaintiff is represented by Curtis B. Stuckey of Stuckey, Garrigan & Castetter Law Offices in Nacogdoches.
A jury trial is requested.
Case No. 9:12-cv-00041