A lawsuit has been filed in the Northern District of Illinois accusing two prominent car dealerships of discriminatory practices against a pregnant employee. Megan Guerra, the plaintiff, lodged her complaint on December 19, 2024, against Gerald Hyundai, Inc., and Gerald Nissan of North Aurora, Inc., alleging pregnancy-based discrimination and harassment.
Megan Guerra claims that during her employment with both Gerald Hyundai and Gerald Nissan, she faced severe discrimination due to her pregnancy. The complaint highlights several instances where Guerra was subjected to unfair treatment compared to her colleagues who were not pregnant. According to the document, Guerra was employed as a Service Advisor at Hyundai from December 5, 2023, until August 2024 when she took maternity leave. Upon returning in August 2024, she requested part-time work accommodations due to her recent childbirth but was allegedly met with resistance and inadequate support from management. "I called her past employer and they said she just came back from maternity leave and has scheduling issues. I don’t want to deal with any of that maternity leave bullshit," was reportedly said by Mike Chino, the General Manager at Hyundai. This statement is presented as evidence of a pattern of discrimination against pregnant employees.
The complaint further details how Guerra's request for accommodations led to her transfer to a lower-paying position at Nissan's call center without proper training or facilities for breastfeeding. She alleges that despite informing management about her need for regular breaks to pump breast milk—a requirement protected under law—she was given inadequate space and faced pushback on time allocation for these breaks. Her employment was terminated on September 5, 2024, after only a few weeks in the new role due to "making too many mistakes," which Guerra attributes to insufficient training rather than incompetence.
Guerra's lawsuit seeks redress under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) of 2023. She accuses the defendants of failing to accommodate her pregnancy-related needs and retaliating against her for engaging in protected activities such as requesting reasonable workplace adjustments. The lawsuit demands back pay with interest, compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys' fees, costs associated with the case, pre-judgment interest if applicable, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing Megan Guerra is attorney Travis P. Lampert from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., based in Lombard, Illinois. The case has been filed under Case ID: 1:24-cv-13073 in front of an unspecified judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.