An Illinois-based residential care facility is facing serious allegations of discrimination and retaliation. Anastasia G. Malhotra filed a complaint against The Lambs Farm, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on December 17, 2024. The lawsuit accuses the defendant of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act by discriminating against her based on sex and pregnancy and retaliating when she opposed such discrimination.
The case centers around Malhotra's employment as a residential manager at The Lambs Farm from September 2023 until her termination in October 2024. According to the complaint, Malhotra faced discriminatory treatment due to her pregnancy, including being forced to work long hours without breaks and being subjected to different terms than non-pregnant employees. In March 2024, her supervisor questioned her ability to manage her role because of her pregnancy and impending motherhood responsibilities.
Malhotra alleges that her direct supervisor, Chris Woods, hinted at changes to her job after maternity leave but provided no details or new job description until June 2024. When she received a vague new job description with unclear duties, she expressed concerns about this change and the discriminatory environment fostered by Woods' actions. Despite raising these issues with HR Coordinator Jason Shaffer and later with Director Michael Diaz, no satisfactory resolution was reached.
Upon returning from maternity leave in October 2024, Malhotra discovered she had been reclassified from a salaried to an hourly employee without prior notice—a move she perceives as a demotion linked to her taking maternity leave. This reclassification occurred just one day after she commenced maternity leave in August 2024. Further meetings with HR revealed baseless performance issues cited against her, which Malhotra believes were retaliatory actions for taking maternity leave.
Ultimately, Malhotra was terminated on October 23, 2024, under claims of refusing job duties—allegations she contests as unfounded given her consistent attempts to clarify her role post-reclassification. She asserts that these actions are clear instances of retaliation for opposing gender and pregnancy discrimination within the organization.
In seeking justice through this lawsuit, Malhotra requests several forms of relief from the court: back pay with interest, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages, reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, pre-judgment interest if applicable, and any further relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing Anastasia G. Malhotra is Attorney Peyton M. Paschke from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while no specific defense attorneys are named in the document. The case is identified as Case No. 1:24-cv-12967 before Judge Kathy Bursh.