A hiring manager’s remark about the finalist’s ‘lifestyle’ features in the EEOC’s account
A pregnant finalist was passed over for a man the EEOC says was less qualified - and the agency links the rejection to her pregnancy.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Dentsu International Americas, an advertising and marketing firm, on August 26, 2026, in federal court in Minnesota. The agency alleges the company refused to hire a pregnant finalist because she was pregnant and would need maternity leave.
The applicant already had a history with the business, the complaint says. She started in July 2022 as a part-time Brand Ambassador for a Dentsu-affiliated company in the Minneapolis area, and by January 2023 she was a Lead Brand Ambassador. In October 2023 she applied for a full-time Experiential Production Producer role with Dentsu - a remote job coordinating brand promotions at live events and managing Brand Ambassadors. According to the filing, the role involved promoting alcoholic beverage brands and required the hire to be based in the Minneapolis market.
She moved through the process. A Talent Acquisition Business Partner found she met the minimum qualifications, the complaint says. She made the first-round cut of five candidates, then became one of two finalists.
On November 13, 2023, the day before her second-round interview, she told the hiring manager she was pregnant, with an April 2024 due date, and would need maternity leave if hired. On or around...
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