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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRep. Henry Cuellar Tried to Discredit a Staffer He Fired at 28 Weeks Pregnant
In August 2018, Kristie Small was newly serving as the acting chief of staff for Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, an anti-abortion Democrat, when she told him she was pregnant. Small requested maternity leave via email, and Cuellar responded that they would need to talk about the leaveand the 90-day probationary period for all new hires. It was the first time Small, who already had a young daughter, had ever heard about the policy, which wasnt in the employee handbook. Cuellar never approved her parental leave and, on October 16, he fired her over the phone, citing poor job performance, while she was in her third trimester. About two weeks later, Small delivered her baby at 30 weeks pregnant. It was a stillbirth.
Small filed a lawsuit against Cuellars office in May 2019, alleging both sex and pregnancy discrimination under federal law and noting that shed worked for another congressman for 13 years without any performance issues. Cuellars office tried to dismiss the lawsuit on summary judgment and submitted letters from Smalls colleagues about her job performance but, according to court documents reviewed by Jezebel, Cuellar himself requested staffers write these letters after he fired Small, and at least five were dated after Small filed her lawsuit.
In denying the dismissal attempt by Cuellars office, federal judge Trevor N. McFadden wrote, Indeed, Cuellar solicited written statements from his staffers about Smalls performance after he fired her
And the staffers provided their statements after Small filed this action in May 2019, McFadden said. Perhaps Cuellar was simply looking for corroboration of Smalls poor performance, but a jury might also see this as an attempt to collect post hoc justifications.
The staff letters, reviewed by Jezebel, allege that Small failed to catch typos in press releases and sometimes arrived at work late or left early. (Again, Small was pregnant and the mother of a toddler.) One letter notes that Small was looking for a new daycare for her daughter. That same letter said one day in the middle of the annual Taste of Laredo event (which is very important to the Congressman and office), Small asked a colleague to leave early and give her and her daughter a ride back to the Capitol Hill office.
https://jezebel.com/rep-henry-cuellar-tried-to-discredit-a-staffer-he-fire-1848893514
Phoenix61
(17,006 posts)I guess thats the wonderful support pregnant women get now that the justices were talking about, right?
denbot
(9,899 posts)Response to RandySF (Original post)
Celerity This message was self-deleted by its author.
MagickMuffin
(15,943 posts)She needs ALL the help she can get. The DCCC supports Cuellar.
I think this lawsuit should change some minds. I certainly hope so.
in2herbs
(2,945 posts)the Alito decision was leaked.
MagickMuffin
(15,943 posts)We really don't need Henry getting up in our business.