New Jersey officials alleged in a complaint filed last week that Amazon has shown “consistent disregard for the civil rights of pregnant workers and workers with disabilities in its warehouses” across the state. 

The complaint, lodged by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and the heads of the state’s Division on Civil Rights (DCR) and Division of Law, alleges that Amazon violated New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination (LAD) because of its treatment of pregnant and disabled workers. 

According to the attorney general’s office, the lawsuit it brought is based on the results of a “years-long investigation” about the company’s treatment of pregnant and disabled workers, as conducted by the DCR, which “revealed that Amazon has engaged in discriminatory practices that have had the effect of pushing pregnant workers and workers with disabilities out of its workforce.”

Platkin’s office said the complaint alleges that Amazon has “repeatedly violated the LAD’s protections,” accusing the company of illegally putting disabled or pregnant workers on unpaid leave; “unlawfully retaliating” against workers who request accommodations and terminating pregnant and disabled workers with accommodations for “failing to meet the company’s rigid productivity requirements.” 

The state alleged that Amazon doesn’t go far enough to find reasonable accommodations for employees upon request and fails to consider whether a different accommodation or work location would be a match for an employee who is pregnant or has a disability. That, the state contended, is a significant problem, given that Amazon employs an estimated 50,000 warehouse workers in New Jersey. Platkin’s office said, within the past two years, New Jersey warehouse workers put in more than 27,000 accommodations requests for pregnancy or disabilities. 

In the complaint, officials alleged that Amazon makes the process of receiving an accommodation difficult because “it closes accommodation requests when workers cannot meet a rigid and unduly short seven-day deadline [the company] sets for providing medical documentation.” 

What’s more, the state argued, if Amazon does approve accommodation requests, its employees may still be subject to meeting “standard productivity metrics inflexibly,” which can see some pregnant or disabled workers “being disciplined and sometimes terminated disproportionately. 

Yolanda Melville, director of the DCR, said the company should be held accountable for its alleged actions. 

“New Jersey’s civil rights laws exist to shield people living and working in our state from discrimination, and the Law Against Discrimination offers strong worker protections that extend beyond what is granted under federal law,” Melville said in a statement. “But Amazon has engaged in practices that had dire financial and health consequences for pregnant and disabled workers in New Jersey.”

Amazon did not immediately return Sourcing Journal’s request for comment on the complaint. However, spokesperson Kelly Nantel reportedly told CNBC that the allegations from Platkin and the state agencies are “simply not true” and noted that the company follows all applicable laws. 

“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,” Nantel reportedly said in a statement. 

Platkin said the state is seeking an injunction that would disallow Amazon from its alleged discrimination, in addition to “civil monetary penalties and punitive damages against Amazon” and compensation for impacted workers. 

The attorney general said the complaint is another attempt by the state to protect its workers. 

“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,” Platkin said in a statement. “There is no excuse for Amazon’s shameful treatment of pregnant workers and workers with disabilities. Amazon’s egregious conduct has caused enormous damage to pregnant workers and workers with disabilities in our state, and it must stop now.”

New Jersey officials filed a different lawsuit against the e-tail giant this month, alleging that it intentionally misclassifies Amazon Flex drivers as contractors when they should be considered Amazon employees.