CINCINNATI — The U.S. District Court jury ruled for the Cincinnati Archdiocese to pay a Catholic school teacher, whom it fired after she became pregnant by artificial insemination, $171,000 in damages.
The archdiocese fired Christa Dias in 2010, citing that she had violated terms of her contract, which stated that she must adhere to Catholic morality. According to the archdiocese, the clause barred the use of artificial insemination, Reuters reports.
Dias’ attorney argued that his client was fired because she was pregnant out of wedlock, a violation of a federal law that prohibits employers for terminating workers for being pregnant. Dias received $71,000 in lost wages and emotional distress damages. The archdiocese was also to pay Dias $100,000 in punitive damages.
