Former Sacramento worker says she was told to ‘focus on being a mom’ in lawsuit
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Anna Tekautz sued Sacramento in 2025 alleging years of gender pay and promotion bias.
- Lawsuit says supervisors denied training, pay parity and leadership assignments.
- Tekautz cites health decline, medical leave, state complaint and seeks damages for losses.
A former Sacramento city employee is alleging that she faced years of gender discrimination and harassment, including comments that she should prioritize motherhood instead of pursuing a promotion.
A lawsuit, filed last week in Sacramento Superior Court, accuses the city of denying Anna Tekautz, an engineer in the city’s building division, equal pay, training and advancement opportunities due to her gender. Tekautz alleges the hostile work environment and ongoing inequities ultimately forced her to leave the job last year.
Tekautz began working for the city in September 2015 as a senior engineer in the city’s building division, which is a part of the Community Development Department. While employed by the city she allegedly earned less than her male colleagues and was denied “career enhancing assignments and training” for years despite receiving “above standard performance reviews,” according to the lawsuit.
In September 2019, Tekautz filed an internal complaint of gender pay inequity, but the lawsuit said the city failed to conduct a “thorough investigation.” She was also discouraged from applying for the chief building official position, which manages the building division, according to the lawsuit.
Her supervisors allegedly denied her professional development opportunities, including leadership training, mentoring and key work assignments, that would have helped her qualify for the higher role.
City spokesperson Jennifer Singer said the city could not comment on pending litigation. Jill Telfer, an attorney representing Tekautz, did not respond to a request for comment.
In one instance, the lawsuit claims a supervisor told Tekautz that being a mom affected her job and that she should “focus on being a mother” instead of pursuing the higher position.
The workplace environment, according to the lawsuit, took a toll on Tekautz’s health. She developed anxiety, depression, insomnia and migraines, and took medical leave in the summer of 2023. Tekautz later filed an internal Equal Employment Opportunity complaint.
Tekautz resigned in February 2024, alleging the ongoing discrimination left her no choice but to leave. She has since filed a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit seeks damages for lost wages, emotional distress and asks the court to order the city to stop discriminating against female employees.
