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Posted: 10:29 AM Oct 26, 2007
Pregnant Deputies Lose Jobs
The Walton County Sheriff's Office is facing a possible lawsuit from two former deputies.
Reporter: Elyse MolstadEmail Address: elyse.molstad@wjhg.com |
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Five-week-old Logan Infinger was welcomed into the world by his parents after two hours of labor. His mother, Kristen Infinger, says that was the easiest part of her pregnancy.
After two and a half years as a Walton County sheriff's deputy, Infinger says she lost her job because she got pregnant.
"Here I am five and a half months pregnant and I'm out of a job."
When Infinger lost her job, she also lost her health and life insurance and her retirement benefits. She claims the sheriff's office fired her because of a policy change.
"The sheriff came out with a new policy ending all light duty, you were to take leave and after that leave was used up you were put on FMLA leave."
Co-workers offered to donate more than 1,300 hours of their leave time to Infinger, but she claims the sheriff's department terminated her anyway, and notified her the donated leave time was going back to her co-workers.
"It really put a cloud over my pregnancy. It was really hard to enjoy it."
Apparently Infinger wasn't the only expectant mother to face the same issue. Melissa Vause delivered her baby girl, Tracy, 12 weeks ago. She too was dismissed from the department.
Melissa Vause said, "At first I didn't believe her because I thought there's no way they're going to terminate me just because I'm pregnant. I haven't done anything."
The women's attorney, Mike Rudicell, says the sheriff’s department's new policy is not only illegal, but anti-family in nature.
Mike Rudicell said, "They're forced as female officers to make a choice as to whether they're going to be employed by the Walton County Sheriff's Office or if they're going to have a family."
Both women have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and depending on the outcome of the investigation, the case may wind up in federal court.
Infinger and Vause say this case is not just about their situation, but for the rights of all women.
"It's not fair to put that burden on them to choose. Families are what make up this country."
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on this story, saying the matter is in litigation. Meanwhile, Vause and Infinger say they would like their jobs back and compensation for their losses, but most important they say they want the policy changed.
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