Shaw, Acting Commissioner, New York State Division of Human Rights, et al. v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.

Opinion summary

Etalia.ai summary of the majority opinion

The case addressed whether state laws prohibiting discrimination based on pregnancy were preempted by federal law, specifically the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The Supreme Court held that ERISA did not preempt New York's Human Rights Law or its Disability Benefits Law as they applied to insurance plans covering employees in New York. However, it found that these state laws could be subject to limitations under Title VII because Congress had amended it through the Pregnancy Discrimination Act to include pregnancy-related conditions within its scope. Thus, while states could enforce their own anti-discrimination statutes concerning pregnancy, such enforcement must align with federal standards set forth in Title VII.