Such suits are often entirely preventable. For example, we represented a doctor some years ago defending a pregnancy discrimination suit. Our client had employed (and tolerated) his office administrator long past the point where he should have terminated her for chronic insubordination and sub-par performance. Finally, after months of indecision, the doctor mustered enough determination over one weekend to tell the person, first thing Monday, that he was going to let her go that Friday.
Monday morning came. Before the doctor could give his office manager the bad news, she happily announced that she was pregnant. Not thinking he should just as happily congratulate her and otherwise zip it, the doctor heedlessly told her that Friday would be her last day. Result: a nearly inevitable lawsuit ensued, alleging the doctor terminated the woman for his supposed hostility to her pregnancy. Further result: after thousands spent in aggressive defense, the doctor eventually settled the suit for a confidential amount to avoid the destruction of his health practice, essentially his life’s work.