A former teacher from a Tennessee Christian school has filed a lawsuit claiming that she was fired from her job because she had a baby out of wedlock.
Tabatha Hutson also claimed that the Concord Christian School (CCS) discriminated against her when it chose not to renew her contract in 2017. Hutson had been with the school since 2011. She became pregnant with her second child during the 2016 to 2017 academic school year but she remained unmarried to the baby's father.
The teacher said that she had a meeting with CCS Principal Leigh Ledet and headmaster Haley Cotrell around May 2017, when her pregnancy bump became evident.
It is claimed that Ledet told her that her contract wouldn't be renewed for the 2017 to 2018 school year. The teacher questioned the decision because she said it was not about her work and performance as an educator.
In her lawsuit, Hutson also alleged that school officials told her she could instead "straighten racks at SteinMart." She also claims she was advised not to tell her colleagues at CCS why her contract was not renewed.
The school has denied Hutson's allegations and instead has asked the courts to dismiss the lawsuit. The school's lawyer countered: "It is acknowledged that the plaintiff's allegations are stated under Title VII as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act."
It claimed it has a "ministerial exception" and cited a case from 2012 that granted the right to religious institutions to impose its principles or beliefs when it came to hiring or firing staff members.
Hutson is asking for compensatory and punitive damages in the amount of $2 million. She also claims that she wouldn't likely receive the same treatment had she been a male teacher.
