Lesbian Catholic teacher wrongly fired while pregnant, jury finds (VIDEO)
In this photo dated January 19, 2009, a pregnant woman walks down the street of the financial district in Singapore.
A jury has found the Archdiocese of Cincinnati wrongly fired a Catholic school teacher who became pregnant out of wedlock through artificial insemination.
Christa Dias, a 33-year-old lesbian who taught computer classes, was sacked in October 2010 after informing the archdiocese of her pregnancy, according to her attorney, Robert Klingler.
She sued the archdiocese and two schools, claiming discrimination.
Jurors awarded Dias more than $170,000 in damages Monday afternoon after three days of deliberations.
Her attorney claimed she was sacked simply because she was unmarried and pregnant.
The archdiocese’s attorney said Dias was fired because artificial insemination violated church doctrine and a contract requiring her to follow Catholic teachings.
Dias declined to comment after the verdict.
Her attorney told WLWT she was happy with the decision and said the case would set a precedent for future rulings.
"I've always wanted to have a baby," Dias told UPI when she filed the lawsuit in January 2012. "That's why I became a teacher, because I love kids. I didn't think it would be a problem."