Complaint filed against former WeWork CEO of pregnancy discrimination

Former WeWork CEO Adam Neuman and the company have been accused by his ex chief of staff of discrimination, saying she was belittled for getting pregnant, forced out of her job in favour of a man making more than twice her salary when she took maternity leave and ultimately fired for raising concerns.

Medina Bardhi has filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she has stated that she began suffering discrimination soon after telling Neumann that she was pregnant with her first child in 2016.

She further said in the complaint that she had been hesitant to tell him early in her pregnancy, but was forced to do so because of his habit of smoking marijuana on chartered flights, potentially exposing her unborn child to second-hand smoke.

Bardhi said she was fired about six months after giving birth to her second child and just weeks after raising concerns about discrimination in connection with her pregnancy and maternity leave.

Medina’s complaint, filed on behalf of a proposed class of other female employees, accuses the company of fostering an environment in which women were demeaned for taking maternity leave, subject to offensive sexual conduct and paid less than male colleagues.

Neumann’s complaint also names Jennifer Berrent, who was WeWork’s chief legal officer, saying she referred to Bardhi’s first pregnancy as a “problem” that needed to be “fixed.”

Neumann also referred to Bardhi’s upcoming maternity leave as a “vacation,” the complaint said. When she took her leave, the company hired a man to replace her at more than double her salary, according to the complaint.

Bardhi when she returned from maternity leave, said that she was not given her old job back for several months.

WeWork however did not respond to a request for comment.