A Roman Catholic archdiocese in Ohio has denied discriminating against an unmarried Catholic school teacher who says she was fired because she was pregnant.

The Cincinnati Archdiocese filed its response to Kathleen Quinlan's lawsuit Monday. It says there is no factual basis for her discrimination claims and asks that her lawsuit be dismissed.

Quinlan taught at a Catholic school in Kettering in suburban Dayton. She sued in December saying her firing was discriminatory because men who engage in premarital sex don't face the same consequences.

The archdiocese response says Quinlan violated her contract. It also says a "ministerial exception" doctrine providing constitutional protection of freedom of religion bars her lawsuit.

Her attorney has said Quinlan wasn't a ministerial employee and wasn't subject to a "morality clause."