Woman Sues NJ Pizzeria, Says She Was Fired For Being Pregnant

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NJ — A woman has filed a discrimination lawsuit against a pizzeria in Cape May Court House claiming she was fired after she became pregnant, and the owner's religion was cited.

Ashley Shaner, 20, filed the lawsuit on April 2 against Pizza Heaven, alleging that her hours were reduced and her schedule changed after she told business owner Dilpreet “Jimmy” Singh she was pregnant, according to court documents.

“Jimmy doesn’t want you working. He said that in his religion he doesn’t want pregnant women working,” a shift manager allegedly told Shaner, according to the suit.

According to the lawsuit filed earlier this month, Shaner was initially hired by Pizza Heaven in March 2020 as a cashier. After working as a cashier for a short time, she was moved to a delivery driver position and worked approximately 30-40 hours per week.

In September 2020, Shaner learned that she was pregnant and she informed the business.
Shaner even showed her supervisors the pregnancy test that showed she was pregnant.

Shaner said she immediately noticed a reduction in her hours and texted her supervisors: “I can work the same hours I was working before,” and requested her hours be restored.

The shift manager said: “Jimmy doesn’t want you working. He said that in his religion he doesn’t want pregnant women working.”

Shaner then struggled financially to support herself, according to the suit. On Oct. 5th, she texted the manager to explicitly request more hours per week. On Oct. 18th, she was fired.

She's seeking compensatory damages, front pay, back pay, emotional distress damages, interests, lost benefits, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and other costs.

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