New Jersey Supreme Court rules in favor of Catholic school that fired unwed pregnant teacher

The Supreme Court of New Jersey on Monday sided with a Catholic school that fired a teacher in 2014 because she became pregnant while unmarried, according to court documents. 

Victoria Crisitello began working at St. Theresa School in Kenilworth as a toddler room caregiver in 2011. She was approached about a full-time job teaching art in 2014, court documents show. During a meeting with the school principal about the position, Crisitello said she was pregnant. Several weeks later, Crisitello was told she'd violated the school's code of ethics, which required employees to abide by the teachings of the Catholic Church, and lost her job.

Crisitello filed a complaint against the school, alleging employment discrimination in violation of New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination, which prohibits unlawful employment discrimination based on a number of factors, including an individual's sex (including pregnancy), familial status, marital/civil union status, religion and domestic partnership status.