NJ Suit Claims Amazon Violated Pregnant, Disabled Workers' Civil Rights

By Nikita Biryukov, New Jersey Monitor

October 24, 2025

New Jersey alleges in a new lawsuit against Amazon that the e-commerce giant retaliated against pregnant and disabled warehouse workers who sought accommodations provided for by state law, the second action the state attorney general has taken against the retailer this week.

In the latest lawsuit, the state charges Amazon routinely placed warehouse workers who sought accommodations on unpaid leave, sometimes keeping them there even after the firm denied their requests. In other cases, state attorneys allege, Amazon outright fired workers only days after they sought accommodations.

“Put simply, Amazon has exploited pregnant workers and workers with disabilities in its New Jersey warehouses,” Attorney General Matt Platkin said in a statement. “In building a trillion-dollar business, Amazon has flagrantly violated their rights and ignored their well-being – all while it continues to profit off their labor.”

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The suit claims Amazon violated New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination by terminating employees who sought accommodations, unreasonably denying requests for accommodations, or creating accommodations that make it impossible for a worker to meet the firm’s productivity requirements.

The firm placed employees on unpaid leave after denying their accommodation requests as a matter of policy, the suit claims.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel called the state’s claims “simply not true.”

“Ensuring the health and well-being of our employees is our top priority, and we’re committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for everyone. The fact is we offer employees comprehensive accommodations throughout their pregnancy journey and postpartum. Since 2022, we’ve processed more than 72,500 pregnancy accommodations requests in US Operations alone, and our current approval rate for pregnancy accommodation requests is higher than 99%. We also offer up to 20 weeks of fully paid leave for eligible birthing parents,” Nantel said.

Amazon is New Jersey’s largest private employer. The company has roughly 50,000 workers in New Jersey warehouses, state attorneys said.

Provisions added to the state’s anti-discrimination law in 2014 require employers to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers and those with disabilities. Protections are stricter for pregnant workers, requiring employers to provide them with periodic rest, assistance with physical tasks, and modified work schedules, among other things.

In one instance, Amazon denied a pregnant worker’s request to be removed from a packing job that required her to lift items weighing up to 50 pounds, according to the lawsuit, which says the employee miscarried on the job.

In another case, a pregnant worker received extra breaks and was barred from lifting items heavier than 15 pounds, only to be terminated a month later, according to the lawsuit, which says the weight restrictions decreased the number of items she could move each shift.

“Amazon has engaged in practices that had dire financial and health consequences for pregnant and disabled workers in New Jersey,” Yolanda Melville, director of the state’s civil rights division, said in a statement. “Today’s complaint underscores our commitment to protecting people working in our state.”

On Monday, the Attorney General’s Office and the state Department of Labor filed a separate lawsuit alleging Amazon had misclassified some of its delivery drivers as independent contractors.

The state alleges the firm denied those workers benefits and overtime pay due to their classification despite exerting significant control over the place and manner of their work.

Amazon has said those workers are independent contractors.

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