Providence is facing a lawsuit from the state of Washington, which alleges the large nonprofit system fell short on accommodating its pregnant and nursing employees.
Filed Wednesday by Attorney General Nick Brown’s office, the complaint references an investigation covering incidents dating back to 2021.
The office alleges Providence “regularly” outright refused accommodations, such as limited lifting or more frequent sitting, delayed its responses to accommodation requests for up to a month, or granted employees’ requests without actually implementing the accommodation. It also describes a policy under which employees must demonstrate their need for accommodation with a note from their provider, which would be illegal for certain accommodations.
Additionally, the office alleged that some of the employees “experienced retaliation after requesting a pregnancy accommodation and were treated with hostility by supervisors for making their accommodation request. Some employees were terminated or constructively discharged after seeking pregnancy accommodations,” according to the complaint (PDF) filed in a state court.
The alleged actions are violations of the state’s Healthy Starts Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination, according to the suit. A release announcing the litigation described the alleged denied accommodations as “bitterly ironic,” considering the prenatal and postnatal services Providence delivers to thousands of patients.
“Taking commonsense steps to keep pregnant and nursing employees and their babies safe and healthy isn’t optional—it’s the law,” Brown said in a release announcing the litigation. “A healthcare provider like Providence should know better.”
Both Brown’s office and a spokesperson for Providence, in an emailed statement, confirmed that there were talks between the two on pregnant and nursing accommodations prior to the lawsuit’s filing.
The attorney general’s office said it had “approached Providence about these concerns and sought to resolve the matter, but those discussions were unsuccessful.”
Providence’s spokesperson said that “while we attempted to have a meaningful exchange, the office refused to share meaningful information that would allow us to understand their assertions, address any individual concerns and further refine our processes to better serve caregivers.”
“We remain committed to working in good faith to reach an appropriate resolution of any issues and are disappointed by the State’s focus on litigation rather than collaborative efforts to help caregivers,” Providence’s statement reads. “We care deeply about providing a safe, supportive workplace for parents, including paid parental leave benefits, pregnancy-related accommodations and the necessary flexibility when parents return to work after the birth (or adoption) of a child.”
The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction enjoining the health system from its alleged conduct and seeks restitution for “each person aggrieved by Providence’s discriminatory conduct.”
The office did not specify how many employees were affected, though the complaint notes that Providence has received over 300 requests for pregnancy accommodations from its Washington employees since 2021. The release said that “many nurses” are among the employees who allegedly were denied accommodations or retaliated against.
Providence is Washington’s largest healthcare provider with more than 35 hospitals. The large nonprofit organization spans 51 hospitals and 119,000 employees, and reported $29 billion of operating revenues across 2025.