Brittany Czischki has filed a lawsuit against her former employers, alleging significant violations of labor laws and discrimination. On Oct. 30, Czischki submitted her complaint to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, targeting Planet Pharma, LLC; Planet Equity Group, LLC (doing business as Planet Group); and ProPharma Group Holdings, LLC. The allegations center around unpaid overtime wages and discriminatory practices related to her pregnancy.
Czischki's complaint details multiple grievances against the defendants. She accuses them of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by misclassifying her and other employees as exempt from overtime pay despite regularly working over 60 hours per week. Additionally, she claims violations of the Illinois Minimum Wage Law (IMWL), interference with rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and discrimination based on sex and pregnancy in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA). Czischki's role as a Senior Accounting Coordinator involved data entry tasks that did not qualify for exemption from overtime pay under FLSA regulations.
The lawsuit reveals that after informing her employers about her pregnancy in May 2023 and subsequently requesting FMLA leave for January 2024 due to medical needs associated with her unborn child's congenital heart defect, Czischki was abruptly terminated just days before her scheduled leave. This termination is alleged to be a direct result of her pregnancy-related requests and is described as retaliatory in nature. Michael Licht, ProPharma’s VP of Finance, allegedly informed Czischki that her position was being eliminated despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
Czischki seeks various forms of relief from the court, including back pay for unpaid wages under both federal and state laws, liquidated damages for willful violations of labor laws, compensatory damages for emotional distress caused by discriminatory actions, punitive damages to deter future misconduct by the defendants, and attorney fees. Her legal representation is provided by Alexandros Stamatoglou from Garfinkel Group, LLC.
The case is presided over by judges at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois under Case ID: 1:24-cv-11200.