Ohio Supreme Court Says OCRA Does Not Provide Leave for Childbearing: Handbook Statement Removed

Author: Melissa Gonzalez Boyce, XpertHR Legal Editor

Employers with employees in Ohio should be aware that the Maternity Leave handbook statement has been removed from the Ohio handbook and the Table of Contents has been updated accordingly. Although administrative regulations under the Ohio Civil Rights Act (OCRA) provide that, if an employer has no leave policy, childbearing must be considered justification for a leave of absence for a female employee for a reasonable period of time, Ohio Supreme Court precedent suggests that no such obligation arises under the OCRA. Because the Ohio Supreme Court's interpretation of the law should be the prevailing one, we have elected to remove the Maternity Leave Handbook Statement: Ohio from the Ohio handbook.