NJ Supreme Court sides with Catholic school that fired teacher over getting pregnant from premarital sex
The New Jersey Supreme Court sided with a Catholic school that fired a teacher for having premarital sex after she told them that she had become pregnant.
The court sided with St. Theresa School on Monday after the private school terminated Victoria Crisitello in 2014 when the unmarried employee informed the principal about her pregnancy during a meeting about a possible promotion, according to legal documents.
Principal Sister Theresa Lee told Crisitello weeks after the meeting that she broke the school’s Code of Ethics because she had sex before marriage, according to legal papers obtained by CNN.
Her contract was cut and she was replaced by a teacher who was married with children, the docs state.
Cristello sued in 2014, arguing she was discriminated against based on her pregnancy and marital status.
The school’s reasoning for dismissing Crisitello over violating tenets of the Catholic faith was a “mere pretext,” her lawsuit argued.
But the state Supreme Court said in its ruling that religious institutions could rely on religious tenets to make decisions, including the firing of staff.
The school’s lawyer Peter Verniero told NJ.com that St. Theresa’s was pleased with the ruling.
“Equally important, the court found no evidence of discrimination in this case,” Verniero said “This is a significant validation of St. Theresa School’s rights as a religious employer.”
Meanwhile, Crisitello’s attorney Tom McKinney told NBC News his client was disheartened by the ruling.
“We’re disappointed with the outcome, we understand the decision, it’s been almost a 10-year legal battle,” he said.
The state attorney general also weighed in on the ruling.
“We are disappointed with today’s decision, but we are grateful that its narrow scope will not impact the important protections the Law Against Discrimination provides for the overwhelming majority of New Jerseyans,” an office spokesperson told CNN.
Crisitello, a former student at the school, was an art teacher and toddler room caregiver at the school.
The conversation with the principal where she revealed she was pregnant came when she was asked about teaching at the school full-time.
When she was hired in 2011, she signed an acknowledgment that said she understood the school’s Code of Ethics which required staff to abide by Catholic law, including abstaining from premarital sex, court docs state.
The teacher’s lawsuit was previously thrown out by trial court judges before the state Appellate Division overturned both decisions, NJ.com reported.
