Unfortunately, though it’s hard to imagine, there are certain employers who will discriminate against their employees simply because they are pregnant. If you believe you were discriminated against in any way as a result of your pregnancy, you have rights, and a competent Los Angeles employment discrimination lawyer from RD Law Group can help you protect those rights. Read on to learn more about whether an employer can fire an employee due to pregnancy and how our firm can help if this has happened to you. Here are some of the questions you may have:
Is an employer allowed to fire an employee because of a pregnancy?
Discrimination of any kind due to pregnancy is unlawful in California. Notably, employees are protected from discrimination under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. The Act states that employers are required to provide pregnant employees with certain “reasonable accommodations,” such as allowing more flexible schedules so pregnant employees can attend important medical appointments.
Additionally, the Act states that refusing certain reasonable accommodations or otherwise taking adverse action against an employee due to their pregnancy is classified as discrimination. For example, many pregnant employees qualify for protected leave. If an employee is either wrongfully denied protected leave, or returns from protected leave only to find they’ve been demoted or have had their position within a company terminated, they will likely have a valid discrimination claim.
What should I do if I was discriminated against due to pregnancy?
If you believe you were discriminated against in any way due to your pregnancy, you should first document the incident(s) of discrimination. This can include keeping emails, text messages, and other forms of evidence. You should also make it a point to report the incident(s) of discrimination to your company’s HR department (if it has one).
Finally, if HR doesn’t rectify the issue, you should strongly consider hiring a competent pregnancy discrimination lawyer who can file a lawsuit against your employer on your behalf, either with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. As long as your claim is successful, you should receive compensation to help you deal with the damages you’ve incurred due to mistreatment at the hands of your employer.
