In Latest Gaffe, Chipotle Ordered To Pay $550,000 After Firing Pregnant Woman

Chipotle faces another headache after a judge ruled in favor of a former Chipotle employee who was fired by her manager for being pregnant. Doris Garcia Hernandez was awarded $550,000 in discrimination damages by a U.S. district court for Washington, D.C., according to the Washington Business Journal.

The case was initially filed in 2014, but goes back to 2011 when Hernandez first informed her manager at a D.C. Chipotle about her pregnancy. He began restricting her water and bathroom breaks.

"Upon learning of her pregnancy, David told Ms. Garcia that she had to announce to every employee in the store when she was going to the bathroom and that David would have to approve her bathroom breaks so that he could cover her work position for her," the lawsuit stated. "David did not impose these requirements on non-pregnant employees."

The manager, referred to only as "David" in the court case, then refused to allow her to leave work early for a pre-natal appointment. When she went to the appointment anyway, she was fired in front of other employees.

The Daily Meal has contacted Chipotle for a statement.