A pregnant public relations executive was fired from her $120,000-a-year position at a New York City firm after her boss claimed she “couldn’t be trusted” because of her “pregnancy brain,” a lawsuit alleges.
Racann McKnight, 37, claims she was fired by Press Hook after being “cruelly and unlawfully verbally abused” by the company’s founder and CEO, Michelle Songy, during a “campaign of gendered harassment.”
McKnight claims Songy, also 37, made a series of damaging comments before she was fired, including “squeeze tight and keep the baby inside longer,” court documents allege. She also told other staff that ‘no one else is better at getting pregnant’, it is alleged.
Songy, who lives in a $2 million home in Atlanta, Georgia, is further accused of failing to support McKnight while she was suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a serious form of illness, while pregnant.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, Songy said McKnight’s claims are “completely baseless” and that she and her company are “prepared to launch a full legal defense.”
Racann McKnight (pictured), 37, claims she was fired from her managerial role at a PR agency after her boss, Michelle Songy, said she ‘couldn’t be trusted’ due to her ‘pregnancy brain’
Michelle Songy (pictured), also 37, allegedly told McKnight to “squeeze tight and keep the baby inside longer.” She is also accused in the lawsuit of failing to deliver on promised salary increases
McKnight, who lives in Brooklyn, New York City, joined Press Hook, a marketing and media relations company, in September 2021 as chief of staff. She was “second in command” to Songy, an entrepreneur who founded the company a year earlier. the sale of her previous company to American Express.
Her claims are outlined in a civil lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com, which was filed on October 11 in the Eastern District of New York.
The complaint alleges that McKnight joined the company at a salary of $120,000 per year and was promised a $20,000 raise if she met certain targets. She was promoted to Vice President of Operations and People in November 2021 and promised another raise, this time to $160,000, but the lawsuit claims she never received any of the raises.
McKnight was initially “consistently praised” for her role, leading an account team of 15 employees, along with a sales team of three, and serving as “head of HR, finance and operations.”
But in December 2021, things “really took a turn for the worse” when McKnight informed Songy of her pregnancy.
“After two previous miscarriages, (McKnight) was cautiously optimistic and wanted to plan and prepare for the future, so she informed Defendant Songy – who responded not with congratulations, but with a look of horror,” the complaint said.
McKnight asked Songy about the company’s family leave policy and was curtly told, “we don’t have one,” according to the complaint. McKnight offered to formulate policies as part of her HR role and Songy responded that she wanted to “provide employees with the bare minimum leave required by law” of 12 weeks, it is claimed.
The lawsuit added: “At the same time, Defendant Songy began her campaign of gender-based harassment against (McKnight) – replete with invasions of (McKnight’s) privacy, derogatory comments about pregnant women and their bodies, disparate treatment in terms of pay , and exclusion from work positions – all because of her status as a pregnant woman.”
McKnight claims the first incident occurred around January 2022, when Songy “inexplicably informed other employees of the pregnancy” during a lunch, without her consent.
The suit reads: ‘Songy blurted out, ‘Just tell them.’ Because (McKnight) was so early in her pregnancy, she was hesitant to share the news with others and felt extremely uncomfortable about Defendant Songy’s intrusiveness and lack of respect for her privacy.”
In February, Songy reportedly “nasty” told McKnight “oh good, you guys look the same,” a reference to the fact that she hadn’t started “showing” yet.
At this time, McKnight also began to suffer from a serious illness that affected her ability to work. On one occasion, Songy and McKnight were traveling to a work event in Nashville, Tennessee, and McKnight had to retreat to her room early one evening due to the condition.
Songy allegedly told her that in the future she can only “come on a business trip if you like it and can drink.” She also accused McKnight of scheduling more appointments with obstetricians and gynecologists than necessary, the lawsuit said.
It added: “Defendant Songy often liked to tell (McKnight) to ‘squeeze tight and keep the baby inside longer,’ or threaten that she ‘better not have this baby sooner,’ implying that she wanted to get as much work out of it (McKnight) as possible.’
“Defendant Songy also began gaslighting (McKnight) and questioning her abilities, both via Slack and in person, stating that (McKnight) was “not to be trusted” due to her “pregnancy brain,” while Defendant Songy continued to expand her reach of duties.’
Songy also said that “no one else is better at getting pregnant” and told Slack’s McKnight to accept a lower salary because of her “upcoming maternity leave,” it is alleged.
McKnight further claims that she was excluded from an “executive retreat for upper level management” in Atlanta, George, in May 2022 and was later told by Songy, “Well, you’re pregnant, I didn’t think you should come.” ‘
In a statement to DailyMail.com, McKnight said Songy’s alleged behavior left her “disgusted at the way a fellow woman in business could treat someone.”
The lawsuit accuses Press Hook and its CEO, Songy (pictured), of an “unfortunate refusal to treat pregnant employees with dignity, equality and compassion”
McKnight, who lives in Brooklyn, New York City, joined The Press Hook, a marketing and media relations firm, in September 2021 as chief of staff. She was ‘second in command’ after Songy
At another meeting, Songy allegedly told McKnight, “Oh good, you’re not too big yet.”
According to the lawsuit, McKnight was fired in June 2022 after Songy sent her and two other employees an email stating that they needed to “immediately take a pay cut as the company was desperate for an additional $50,000 per month.”
The next day, during their weekly meeting, which was held via video call, Songy told McKnight that she had “cost too much money for someone going on vacation” — a reference to her upcoming maternity leave.
McKnight responded that “maternity leave is not a vacation,” but was immediately told that “defendant Songy, along with the investors, had decided to terminate (her) employment with immediate effect.”
The lawsuit alleges discrimination based on McKnight’s pregnancy and illness, along with a violation of New York human rights law and breach of contract.
McKnight suffered financial damages, along with severe emotional, psychological and physical distress, according to the lawsuit, which calls for a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages.
A spokesperson for The Press Hook told DailyMail.com: “Ms. McKnight’s claims are completely baseless.
‘Press Hook is a small business, run by women, designed to help other small businesses gain traction and differentiate themselves in the crowded media landscape. In keeping with our commitment to diversity, inclusion and equal treatment, Press Hook, and Ms. Songy in particular, ensures the support of all employees without discrimination on the basis of disability, pregnancy or other protected classes.
“We strongly deny the allegations in Ms. McKnight’s complaint and are prepared to launch a full legal defense.”
In a statement to Daily Mail.com, McKnight further claimed that there was “constant pressure to party, drink too much and stay out at all times” while at Press Hook.
‘Once I became pregnant, Michelle made numerous derogatory and offensive comments about my pregnancy, including my physical size, the effect my hormones “might” have on my work, and at one point she even asked if I had considered having a to have an abortion. ,’ she said.
“She cruelly wondered if my unborn baby would ‘have problems or be slow like my other son,’ referring to my eldest child’s autism diagnosis.”
McKnight said Songy’s decision to fire her left her ‘disgusted by the way a fellow woman in business could treat someone.”
“I am filing this lawsuit so that no other pregnant woman has to endure the cruel and unlawful treatment I experienced at Press Hook,” she added.
Filippatos PLLC, the law firm representing McKnight, added: “No woman should have to choose between becoming a mother and continuing to work.
Press Hook’s unlawful decision to terminate Ms. McKnight’s employment while she was about to give birth has ruined a joyful time in Ms. McKnight’s life. Our office will hold Press Hook and Michelle Songy accountable for their unlawful and abhorrent actions.”