A New York federal judge has ruled Amazon must comply with a subpoena from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The agency is investigating allegations of discrimination against pregnant warehouse workers.
US District Judge Lorna Schofield in Manhattan dismissed Amazon’s argument that the EEOC’s subpoena was overly broad and irrelevant.
The EEOC’s probe was triggered by complaints from five women who claimed they experienced pregnancy discrimination at work.
They are employed at Amazon warehouses in New Jersey, Connecticut, North Carolina, and California.
Amazon claimed it had already provided around 370,000 pages of data in response to the subpoena, though not in the specific format requested by the EEOC.
Judge Schofield ruled the information requested by the EEOC was essential to determine if Amazon had engaged in illegal discriminatory practices.Â
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She has ordered Amazon to comply with the subpoena by Friday, August 9.
New York state agency filed an administrative complaint 2022 against the e-commerce giant.
It accused Amazon of requiring pregnant and disabled warehouse workers to take unpaid leaves of absence even when they were capable of working, rather than providing necessary accommodations.
This case is still pending.
An EEOC spokesperson declined to comment on the ruling.
