Pregnancy-Related Termination Attorney

California offers robust protections: FEHA (Gov. Code § 12940) prohibits pregnancy discrimination, the Pregnancy Disability Leave Law (Gov. Code § 12945) provides up to four months of protected leave, and CFRA provides additional bonding leave. Employers with 5+ employees must provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions.

New York's Human Rights Law prohibits pregnancy discrimination. The NY Paid Family Leave Law provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave for bonding. NYC's Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations. The federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (2023) also provides nationwide accommodation rights.

Generally, no. Firing an employee while on protected pregnancy or parental leave creates a strong presumption of discrimination. Your employer must hold your position or an equivalent one. However, if a legitimate business reason unrelated to pregnancy exists (such as a company-wide layoff), termination may be lawful — but the employer bears a heavy burden of proof.

Document the timeline: when you disclosed your pregnancy, any comments made by supervisors, and when you were fired. Preserve all emails and texts. File a complaint with the DFEH (California) or DHR/EEOC (New York) as soon as possible. Contact an employment attorney immediately, as these cases often have strong evidence of illegal motive due to suspicious timing.