LUCAS COUNTY, OH (WTOL) - Thousands of jurors are summoned to the Lucas County Courthouse every year, and just recently a new mom encountered an issue she wants to make sure other new mothers like herself, are aware of.
Little Liam is Emily's first baby. Like any mom, she wants the best for him.
"Breast milk is the most important thing you can give to your child," said Emily.
She's committed pumping every three hours to keep her milk supply up. So, after being summoned to jury duty, she made sure she would be able to pump in a private place.
"They emailed me back so quickly and said they would have a private room available for me. So I was under the impression the room they provided for me was one other women have use this room so I wasn't worried about getting walked in on," said Emily.
When it was time to pump, Emily was taken to a break room for courthouse staff. She says a sign was paced on the door asking others to keep out, but a staffer walked in on her twice.
"It's uncomfortable. My shirt was up, my stomach was exposed. You know it was embarrassing," said Emily.
Although Emily is a little embarrassed and disappointed with her experience, she says she just wanted to raise awareness.
"I'm not mad at all. I'm just speaking out to protect other moms in the future. There should be somewhere safe and comfortable where they can go," said Emily.
WTOL's Michelle Zepeda contacted the Lucas County Court Administrator. He immediately looked into the matter, found out how this all happened, and called Emily to apologize.
He says he has taken several measures to ensure nursing moms who are called up for jury duty have a safe and quiet place to go.
