Peguy Delva, Petitioner v. the Continental Group, Inc., Respondent

Summary

The Court held that the Florida Civil Rights Act’s prohibition on employment discrimination because of sex includes discrimination based on pregnancy. Applying de novo review and the Act’s directive for liberal construction, the Court concluded that pregnancy is a natural condition unique to women and therefore a sex-linked characteristic protected by the statute. Justice Polston, dissenting, would have held that the statute’s plain meaning does not encompass pregnancy discrimination.