Update (June 4): A jury in Cincinnati, Ohio, has ruled that the local Catholic archdiocese unjustly discriminated against a teacher who was fired after becoming pregnant via artificial insemination. According to the Associated Press, the teacher, Christa Dias, argued that “she was fired simply because she was pregnant and unmarried. (However) the archdiocese’s attorney said Dias was fired because artificial insemination violated church doctrine and a contract requiring her to follow Catholic teachings.”
But the Cinncinnati Archdiocese may appeal the ruling, which legal experts say “could have a much wider legal impact” if the ministerial exception is raised in court.
In a similar case in Indiana, a court recently ruled that some records can remain confidential of a teacher allegedly fired over in-vitro fertilization. CT previously reported on the Ohio case and examined why fired teachers are suing Christian schools.
––-
[Original blog, posted March 4, 2013]
Gloria Allred’s Latest Target? Christian College that Fired Pregnant Employee
Even after Hosana-Tabor, fired employees are continuing to sue.
High-profile lawyer Gloria Allred has filed a lawsuit against San Diego Christian College alleging it fired a then-unmarried employee, Teri James, for having premarital sex with her fiance and getting pregnant. James, who is now married and expecting her child in June, alleges she was wrongfully terminated; the college says James violated its moral code, which she had agreed in writing to uphold.
CT recently reported on the wave of school tussles over sex standards, including Dias v. Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the case of a lesbian who was fired after undergoing artificial insemination. CT found that experts predict suchlawsuits will continue to grow–but also that Christian schools are likely to continue their winning streak.
Courthouse News Service reports that the Cincinnati case will head to a jury. The trial is slated to begin March 19.
