Los Angeles Pregnancy Discrimination Lawyer

Pregnancy discrimination remains a widespread occurrence in Los Angeles’s largest companies all the way down to the small mom and pop shops.

Whether women work at Walmart or in a major movie studio, getting pregnant is often the moment they are knocked off the professional ladder.

Many pregnant women that we help have been sidelined by their employers in the workplace. They have been passed over for promotions. They have been fired for complaining. 

The most frustrating part of all of this for us, besides being illegal, is that this jeopardizes the well being not only of the parents but also the newborn when so often health insurance is tied to the job. 

Pregnancy Discrimination takes many forms and we handle all of them. We will not back down until you get the compensation you deserve. We fight to make your voice heard. 

At the Law Offices of Jake D. Finkel, we handle a lot of different types of pregnancy discrimination cases in Los Angeles. Some examples include:

• Being forced to lift heavy objects after being asked to stop by your doctor.
• Being laid off weeks before the pregnancy is due. For no legitimate reason. 
• Being harassed or belittled due to pregnancy.
• Being forced to pump in obscene conditions.
• Being fired while on maternity leave.
• Being passed or denied the opportunity for a promotion because your employer does not believe you will have enough time. 
• Coming back from maternity leave to a demotion or fewer hours. 

The list goes on and on. 

How does our process work? Who will be held accountable for your pregnancy discrimination case in Los Angeles and California? 

Once we have completed your free strategy session and case evaluation, we begin the discovery phase of your case. We dig deep and leave no stone unturned while we work with you to collect the facts and proof to build your case. You can expect us to work with you every step of the way and stay in constant contact should you have any questions or concerns. 

Through this whole process, we will discover who exactly needs to be held accountable in this case, and more often than not your case may include more liable parties than you originally thought. 

Call (213) 787-7411 now for a free consultation and strategy session.

We take every pregnancy discrimination case very seriously and here is what you can expect from our free employment consultation and strategy session:

• We work with you to understand your employment issue and the current situation. This is important for us because your employer may have broken more laws than you are aware of. 
• We provide you with details on your case, if you have one, and what your next steps are. 
• We work with you to collect evidence for your case and advise you on what to do. 
• And more!

Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Case with a Pregnancy Discrimination Attorney in Los Angeles!

Jake D. Finkel is an aggressive and highly respected Pregnancy Discrimination lawyer in Los Angeles with a reputation for not stopping until his clients get the compensation they deserve. He will help you stand up to your employer. Jake believes that your lawyer should treat you as more than a case and we get the best results because we take the time to get to know you and establish trust between us. At the end of the day – it is important to us that you know we have it covered and we have your back. 

Call (213) 787-7411 to schedule your free consultation and strategy session. We represent clients in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and all other parts of Southern California.

Here’s what you need to know about Pregnancy Discrimination in Los Angeles.

Pregnancy Discrimination & Maternity Leave Laws in the Workplace and Los Angeles

Both federal and state laws require employers to treat pregnant women fairly. If you’re pregnant, you should be treated the same as all other workers. It’s a simple idea, but in practice, pregnancy discrimination occurs very often. If you think it has happened to you, the first step is to understand the anti-discrimination and maternity leave laws that protect your rights on the job.

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act

The main federal law protecting pregnant women is an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, called the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). This law sets the rules and regulations regarding an employer’s responsibilities when one of their workers is pregnant, as well as the rights of pregnant workers, and is applicable to companies that have 15 or more employees.

When a pregnant employee’s rights are violated, employers can be held accountable and may be found liable and required to pay damages or other types of restitution.

Employer Responsibility Under the PDA

Employers have a responsibility to treat pregnant women fairly. This outlaws acts of pregnancy discrimination. Employers may not refuse to hire pregnant workers based on personal views about the inability of pregnant women to perform job duties. They may not pass over qualified pregnant women for a promotion that would otherwise be granted. Nor may they terminate, demote, harass, or refuse to hire someone just for being pregnant.

It is also against the law for employers to refuse to hire a pregnant worker due to a pregnancy-related health condition.

Lastly, the PDA requires employers to provide adequate accommodations to expectant mothers, when reasonable. Employers also may not use pregnancy as a reason to change the health benefits or other job benefits of employees who become pregnant.

Maternity Leave Laws

Another way that pregnancy discrimination can become an issue on the job is through maternity leave.
Employers sometimes make unlawful requirements concerning maternity leave, which pregnant employees can address with litigation. For instance, it is unlawful for an employer to require that a pregnant employee remains on maternity leave until the birth of her child under certain circumstances. Curtailing or extending maternity leave in response to pregnancy is against the law in most circumstances.

Maternity leave laws dictate that certain employers must afford a pregnant employee the same type of leave as other “temporarily disabled” employees. For example, I an employer has a policy in place that will hold a job open for workers who are temporarily disabled for a certain length of time, it must also hold the job open for a woman temporarily disabled due to pregnancy for the same length of time.
It is also important to note that pregnant women may be entitled to a certain amount of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The FMLA grants a pregnant woman 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a newborn. Fathers also have the right to take the same amount of unpaid leave time to care for a new baby under the FMLA.

Eligibility for FMLA leave is limited to employees who have been with an employer for at least 12 months, worked over 1250 hours during the last 12 months, and work at a location where there are 50 or more employees with a radius of 75 miles.

What if a Pregnant Los Angeles Employee is Unable to Perform Her Job Duties?

Some pregnancy-related disabilities qualify for protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which for some women offers another avenue to deal with pregnancy discrimination at work. The ADA requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations at work such as shifting work schedules or providing lighter job duties.

Contact Law Offices of Jake D. Finkel to Discuss Your Situation

Employers who willfully or negligently subvert the rights of their pregnant employees may be violating the law. Pregnant workers deserve the same treatment as all other workers and should not be subject to prejudice within the workplace because of their expectant status.

For assistance with your particular situation, you can rely on the expertise of the Law Offices of Jake D. Finkel. Our extensive knowledge of employment law is a valuable asset to employees seeking justice for any pregnancy discrimination cause.