Pregnant, Unwed Assistant Professor Sues Christian University over Firing
- Updated Aug 06, 2015
An unmarried former assistant professor at a university in Eugene, Oregon is suing the school, claiming she was fired due to her pregnancy.
Coty Richardson, who taught at Northwest Christian University, is contending her recent dismissal from the school on grounds of religious discrimination and gender bias, as reported by SRN News.
According to Richardson’s lawsuit, she told the school of her pregnancy in May, and was given an ultimatum of breaking up with her boyfriend of 12 years or marrying him. When Richardson refused to do either, the school notified her of her dismissal on July 30.
Dennis Lindsay, vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty at Northwest wrote Richardson’s letter of dismissal in which he stated that “sexual relations outside of marriage” are “contrary to the university’s core values.”
Richardson claims that this is evidence of religious discrimination, as well as gender bias, since unmarried male teachers at the school were not fired after learning that they were expectant fathers.
Publication date: August 6, 2015
