VALPARAISO | A former employee of the Canterbury Place Nursing and Rehab Center claims in a lawsuit she was discriminated against and eventually fired because she was pregnant.

Dawn Mount, executive director at the nursing home, said she believes the facility acted appropriately.

She said Victoria Serednyj's claim before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was dismissed in September.

Serednyj was working as the activities director at the nursing home when in January she notified her supervisor she was pregnant, according to the suit.

She said her physician told her a month later to avoid heavy lifting and strenuous activities. A copy of the written medical restriction is attached to the lawsuit.

Serednyj said she requested an accommodation for her medical restrictions, but was denied by Canterbury, which is now operating under the name Beverly Living Center.

She said she also provided her employer with a disability certificate from her doctor and then a follow-up note returning her to light duty. She claims the nursing home again refused to accommodate her needs.

She was fired March 26, according to the suit.

Serednyj claims the nursing home discriminated against her under the terms of the Civil Rights Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Americans with Disabilities Act and suffered retaliation for objecting to the treatment she received.