Pregnancy Discrimination Lawyer Los Angeles, CA
If you have been treated differently at work because you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or recently gave birth, your employer may have violated California law. Pregnancy discrimination remains widespread despite clear legal protections, and many women do not realize they have the right to take action.
Our Los Angeles, CA pregnancy discrimination lawyer at The Bloom Firm represents women who have been pushed out, demoted, denied accommodations, or terminated because of pregnancy. We understand the financial pressure and emotional toll these situations create, especially when you are preparing to welcome a child or have just returned from maternity leave.
The Bloom Firm has fought for victims of discrimination since 2010. We exclusively represent employees and have never defended an employer accused of mistreating workers. Our attorneys handle pregnancy discrimination cases on contingency, meaning you owe nothing unless we recover compensation for you. If your employer has penalized you for being pregnant, contact us for a free consultation.
Why Choose The Bloom Firm for Pregnancy Discrimination Cases in Los Angeles, CA?
Attorneys Who Fight for Working Women
Pregnancy discrimination often happens subtly. An employer questions your commitment after you announce your pregnancy. Your responsibilities quietly shift to others. Performance reviews that were always positive suddenly identify problems. By the time you return from leave, your position has been eliminated. These patterns are illegal, but proving them requires attorneys who know where to look and how to build a case.
Lisa Bloom founded The Bloom Firm with a commitment to representing victims of workplace mistreatment. A graduate of Yale Law School, she has practiced law since the early 1990s and has been recognized by Super Lawyers every year since 2015. Lisa has spent decades advocating for women’s rights in the workplace, on television as a legal analyst for CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, and in courtrooms across California. Her work has included discrimination cases involving gender, pregnancy, and unequal pay.
Arick Fudali serves as Partner and Managing Attorney. He earned his J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and is admitted to practice in California, New York, and Florida. Before joining The Bloom Firm, he prosecuted criminal cases in Florida. Since 2011, he has represented employees in discrimination and harassment matters, appearing regularly on national news programs to discuss victims’ rights.
Our employment lawyer in Los Angeles, CA handles the full range of workplace claims, including retaliation and wrongful termination cases that often accompany pregnancy discrimination.
A Record of Holding Employers Accountable
Our firm has helped clients recover millions of dollars in employment discrimination and harassment cases. We have fought for women who were denied promotions, paid less than male colleagues, and pushed out of their jobs after announcing pregnancies. When employers violate the law, we make them answer for it.
You Pay Nothing Unless We Win
Legal action should not add financial stress to an already difficult situation. We take pregnancy discrimination cases on contingency. There are no upfront fees, no hourly billing, and no cost to you unless we recover money on your behalf.
What Clients Say
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“I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Bloom and several of the attorneys at The Bloom Law Firm and found them very personable, caring, and extremely knowledgeable. Lisa made sure that the right attorney was paired with us and she, as well as her legal team, have always been very informative and available. The Bloom Firm has always been very helpful going above and beyond expectations and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone seeking legal representation.” — Janice Kay, Client
Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.
Types of Pregnancy Discrimination Cases We Handle in Los Angeles
Pregnancy discrimination can occur at any stage of employment. Our attorneys represent women throughout Los Angeles County in the following situations:
- Termination during pregnancy or maternity leave. Some employers fire pregnant employees outright. Others wait until the employee is on leave, then claim the position was eliminated due to restructuring. We investigate whether these explanations are legitimate or pretextual covers for discrimination.
- Demotion or reduced responsibilities. Employers sometimes assume pregnant employees cannot handle their current duties or will not return after giving birth. Stripping responsibilities, reassigning key projects, or demoting a pregnant employee violates California law even when framed as being “for her own good.”
- Failure to accommodate. California requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions. This may include modified duties, more frequent breaks, time off for prenatal appointments, or temporary transfer to a less strenuous position. Employers who refuse these accommodations or make the process unnecessarily difficult may face liability. Similar protections apply to employees with disabilities.
- Denial of leave. California law provides pregnancy disability leave for employees unable to work due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions. Employers who deny this leave, pressure employees to return early, or retaliate against employees who take it violate the law.
- Retaliation for requesting accommodations. You asked for a modified schedule for prenatal appointments. You requested lighter duties because of pregnancy complications. Instead of working with you, your employer began documenting performance issues that never existed before. Retaliation for exercising your pregnancy rights is illegal and often results in substantial damages.
- Failure to reinstate after leave. California law generally requires employers to reinstate employees returning from pregnancy disability leave to the same or a comparable position. When employers claim the position no longer exists or offer a significantly inferior role, they may be violating your rights.
- Hostile work environment. Comments about your pregnancy, questions about your commitment to your career, jokes about pregnancy brain, or exclusion from meetings and opportunities can create a hostile work environment based on sex and pregnancy status. This conduct often accompanies other forms of pregnancy discrimination.
California Legal Requirements for Pregnancy Discrimination
California provides extensive protections for pregnant employees. These laws impose clear obligations on employers that go beyond federal requirements.
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions. FEHA applies to employers with five or more employees and covers all aspects of employment including hiring, promotion, compensation, and termination. The California Civil Rights Department enforces these protections.
Under FEHA, employers must provide reasonable accommodations for conditions related to pregnancy if requested by an employee with medical documentation. This includes modified duties, additional breaks, and leave for medical appointments. Employers must engage in an interactive process to identify effective accommodations rather than simply denying requests.
California Government Code Section 12945 specifically addresses pregnancy disability leave. Employees disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related condition are entitled to up to four months of leave. This leave is separate from and in addition to leave under the California Family Rights Act for baby bonding.
The California Family Rights Act provides eligible employees up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for baby bonding after the birth of a child. This leave is available to employees who have worked for their employer for at least 12 months and 1,250 hours. The Employment Development Department administers paid family leave benefits that provide partial wage replacement during this time.
At the federal level, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which amended Title VII to prohibit discrimination based on pregnancy. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave for eligible employees at companies with 50 or more workers.
California’s laws often provide greater protection than federal law. You may have claims under both state and federal law depending on your situation.
Important Aspects of a Los Angeles Pregnancy Discrimination Case
Pregnancy discrimination cases require building a record that demonstrates bias rather than legitimate business reasons. These elements often determine the strength of your claim.
Timing and Documentation
When discriminatory actions occur matters significantly. An employee who receives glowing reviews for years, announces her pregnancy, and suddenly faces performance criticism has powerful circumstantial evidence. Keep records of your performance reviews, emails from supervisors, and any communications about your pregnancy, accommodations, or leave. Document conversations in writing by sending follow-up emails summarizing what was discussed.
Comparator Evidence
How your employer treated non-pregnant employees in similar situations often reveals discrimination. If male employees or non-pregnant women received accommodations you were denied, that disparity supports your claim. If colleagues with similar performance records were not disciplined the way you were after announcing your pregnancy, that pattern matters. Identifying the right comparators strengthens your case considerably.
The Interactive Process
California requires employers to engage in good faith discussions about accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions. This interactive process should involve a genuine effort to find solutions that allow you to continue working safely. Employers who refuse to participate, dismiss accommodation requests without consideration, or offer only unworkable alternatives may have violated their legal obligations.
Pretextual Reasons
Employers rarely admit to pregnancy discrimination. Instead, they offer explanations: the position was eliminated, performance was lacking, the company restructured. Your attorney’s job is demonstrating that these reasons are pretextual. When an explanation does not hold up under scrutiny, it suggests the real motivation was discrimination. Many common mistakes made by harassment victims also apply in discrimination cases, particularly waiting too long or failing to document events.
Administrative Filing
Before filing a lawsuit under FEHA, you must obtain a right-to-sue notice from the California Civil Rights Department. This administrative step has a three-year deadline from the last discriminatory act. Our attorneys handle these filings regularly and ensure your administrative complaint preserves all your legal options.
Damages in Pregnancy Discrimination Cases
Successful pregnancy discrimination claims may recover lost wages and benefits from wrongful termination or demotion, future lost earnings if discrimination affected your career trajectory, emotional distress damages, and potentially punitive damages for particularly egregious conduct. Reinstatement to your former position may also be available in some cases. The amount you may recover depends on factors including your salary, the duration of discrimination, and the strength of your evidence. Cases involving workplace harassment alongside discrimination may support additional claims.
Contact The Bloom Firm
If you have experienced pregnancy discrimination in Los Angeles, you deserve attorneys who will take your case seriously. Our firm has represented women facing discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination based on pregnancy and has recovered significant compensation for our clients.
We offer free consultations to evaluate your situation. We take pregnancy discrimination cases on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win money for you. Many women worry that legal action will be too expensive or too stressful during an already challenging time. Our fee structure eliminates the financial risk, and our attorneys handle the legal burden so you can focus on your health and your family.
Pregnancy discrimination is not something you have to accept. California law protects you, and we are prepared to enforce those protections. Contact The Bloom Firm today to discuss your case.