Hotel Management Company sued for Discrimination at Illinois Property

Hotel Equities Group, a hotel management company, violated federal law when it failed to provide pregnancy accommodations to one employee and religious accommodations to another at an Illinois property, he U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in 2023, a pregnant front desk clerk at the company’s Hilton-branded hotel in Oak Lawn, Illinois requested the ability to sit at the front desk rather than stand due to medical needs related to her pregnancy. Although a coworker initially provided her with a suitable chair, company management later took it away, replaced it with a small, backless stool, and discouraged her from using it. Shortly thereafter, the company discharged her in retaliation for requesting an accommodation, according to the suit.

The lawsuit also charged that in 2023 at the same hotel, a second front desk clerk, who was also an assistant pastor at a Baptist church, requested not to be scheduled for Saturday overnight shifts because it interfered with his ability to attend and sometimes lead services at his church on Sunday mornings.

Although the company expressed its approval of his request, in practice it still scheduled him on Saturday night shifts — and continued to do so even after he objected. Not long after, the company retaliated against him by cutting his hours, according to the suit.

Such alleged conduct violates the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). Both statutes prohibit retaliating against employees who ask for reasonable accommodations.

The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Hotel Equities Group, LLC, Case No. 1:26-cv-01217) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Source: EEOC

Topics Lawsuits Property Illinois