A former Journeys employee in Queens has filed a lawsuit against Genesco Inc., the company behind the popular shoe chain. The Store Manager claimed she was wrongfully fired just days before giving birth and only one day before she was set to begin her maternity leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The complaint, filed by Attorney Armando Ortiz in the Eastern District of New York, alleges that the company discriminated against the plaintiff based on her pregnancy, failed to provide reasonable accommodations, retaliated against her for reporting the mistreatment, interfered with her right to take FMLA leave, and failed to pay her accrued vacation pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the plaintiff informed her employer of her pregnancy, she claims that she experienced escalating harassment and scrutiny from her District Manager. According to the lawsuit, Plaintiff was pushed to take leave early or accept a demotion. Journeys allegedly refused to engage in a proper cooperative dialogue to explore accommodations and instead created a hostile work environment. Despite improving her sales numbers, she was terminated abruptly during her final week of pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plaintiff also claims that Genesco never paid her for over 100 hours of accrued paid time off that she had earned before her termination. The lawsuit seeks damages for emotional distress, lost wages, and violations of the NYC Human Rights Law, the New York Labor Law, and the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n