Irving-based Courtroom Sciences Inc. has denied all claims by former employee Megan Cartwright that the litigation services firm discriminated against her and fired her 10 days before she was due for a C-section as retaliation because she was pregnant.
The response, filed Thursday in Dallas federal court, was also the debut of CSI’s counsel, Dallas employment lawyer Rogge Dunn, in the case. The court sent a summons to CSI on Monday because it had not yet responded to the May 16 lawsuit.
Cartwright worked at CSI as an account executive for nearly three years before her Nov. 9, 2018 termination. In her lawsuit, she alleges that 30 days after she informed CSI officials that she was pregnant, she was written up for allegedly not hitting her monthly quota and put on a performance improvement plan.
“There were times in prior years that plaintiff — like most CSI employees — had not hit her ‘goals’ yet received no discipline from defendant,” says Cartwright’s lawsuit, filed by Dallas lawyer Clay Hartmann. “It was not until plaintiff informed CSI of her pregnancy that CSI began to scrutinize her work and threaten her with termination.”
When she struggled to meet her quota, Cartwright asked for help from her managers on how to develop more business but no help was provided, the lawsuit says. In the meantime, “similarly situated” colleagues were gifted accounts to help them hit their respective goals.
When Cartwright complained to her manager that she was being treated differently, her manager replied that she was ‘being a lazy sales rep,’” the lawsuit says.
Before her November termination, Cartwright alleged that she was never provided any information or assistance regarding her rights under the Family Medical Leave Act.
In its response, CSI says it had “no personal knowledge” regarding Cartwright’s due date and “therefore cannot admit or deny the plaintiff was terminated 10 days before” her scheduled C-section.
CSI also denies that officials treated her differently than male and non-pregnant employees who failed to meet quotas or goals, and points out that Cartwright’s supervisor addressed her failure to meet her sales target “before” she informed CSI she was pregnant.
CSI claims Cartwright was provided a form to request FMLA leave if she desired, but she never returned the form “or otherwise requested FMLA leave.”
Lastly, CSI disputes Cartwright’s claims that the EEOC issued her a right-to-sue letter on Feb. 15. The firm says the EEOC issued the letter on June 3 — after she filed the lawsuit — thus “making it procedurally defective.”
On its website, CSI boasts a large list of BigLaw and corporate clients, including Sidley Austin, Latham & Watkins, Haynes and Boone, Baker Botts, Davis Polk, Exxon, Lego, Dell, Google, Coca Cola, American Airlines and many more.
The case is 3:19-cv-01186 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas and has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay.