• In Larkin v. Total Quality Logistics, LLC, a logistics firm was sued after it denied a work-from-home accommodation request from an employee with a high-risk pregnancy.
• A jury found the accommodation denial contributed to the baby’s premature birth and death.
• The case shows how an accommodation denial may create liability for employers if they aggravate a worker’s medical condition.

Background on the Case

In 2021, a claims associate for a Cincinnati-based logistics firm, Total Quality Logistics, LLC (TQL), was pregnant and required bed rest after a related surgery. When she requested to work from home and provided medical documentation, the company denied the request and placed her on an unpaid leave of absence instead. She quickly resumed work in the office.

About two weeks later, the company reconsidered and granted her request to work from home. The same day, the employee entered very premature labor and gave birth to her daughter. The baby died shortly after being born.

In February 2023, the baby’s estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the Hamilton County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas. A jury awarded the estate $22.5 million on March 18, 2026. The court denied the plaintiff’s request for punitive damages, holding that punitive damages are not available for a “purely wrongful death action.”

Americans with Disabilities Act and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

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