Jury finds for Ohio teacher fired while pregnant

Associated Press

CINCINNATI

A Catholic school teacher who was fired after she became pregnant through artificial insemination was awarded $171,000 Monday after winning her anti-discrimination lawsuit against an Ohio archdiocese.

A federal jury found that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati discriminated against Christa Dias by firing her in 2010.

Dias, who taught computer classes, declined to comment immediately after the verdict but said later in an interview with The Associated Press that she was “happy and relieved.”

The jury said the archdiocese should pay a total of $71,000 for back pay and compensatory damages and $100,000 in punitive damages. Dias had sued the archdiocese and two of its schools; the jury didn’t find the schools liable for damages.

Dias’ attorney, Robert Klingler, argued she was fired simply because she was pregnant and unmarried, a dismissal he said violated state and federal law. He’d suggested damages as high as $637,000, but Dias said she was satisfied.

“It was never about the money,” she said. “They should have followed the law and they didn’t.”

Steven Goodin, the attorney for the archdiocese and the schools, had argued Dias was fired for violating her contract, which he said required her to comply with the philosophies and teachings of the Catholic church. The church considers artificial insemination immoral and a violation of church doctrine.

“We have always argued that this case was about a contract violation and should never have been allowed to come to trial,” Goodin said.

Archdiocese spokesman Dan Andriacco said after court that for the archdiocese, it was always “a matter of principle” and about “an employee who broke a contract she signed.”

Dias, who is not Catholic, testified she didn’t know artificial insemination violated church doctrine or her employment pact.

Dias also has claimed that church policies are not enforced equally.

Goodin said Dias, who is gay, never intended to abide by her contract. She kept her sexual orientation a secret because she knew that homosexual acts also would violate that contract, he said.

Dias now lives in Atlanta with her partner and their 2-year-old daughter.