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Pregnancy discrimination · Pasadena
Pregnancy discrimination lawyer in PasadenaMeet us at our headquarters
If you were fired, sidelined or refused help at work because you’re pregnant, California law protects you. Talk with our team at our Pasadena headquarters or online.
- Exclusively for workers
- Free virtual consultations
- Se habla español
4monthsJob-protected pregnancy leave (PDL)
12weeksCFRA leave to bond with your baby
3yearsTo file with the Civil Rights Department
5+employeesEmployers covered by FEHA
The short answer
A pregnancy discrimination lawyer in Pasadena can help if your employer fired you, cut your hours, refused an accommodation or punished you for taking leave because you’re pregnant. California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) bars this at employers with 5 or more employees. You generally have 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department (CRD). Our Corporate Headquarters is at 1 S. Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena.
From the California labor lawyers at Employees First Labor Law, led by Jonathan P. LaCour, CEO · Senior Trial Counsel. Meet our team. Updated November 2026
On this page
- What counts as pregnancy discrimination in California
- What happened to you at work?
- Which laws protect you at your job?
- Where a Pasadena pregnancy discrimination case is filed
- What to do this week
- Meet a pregnancy discrimination lawyer in Pasadena
- Visiting our Pasadena office
- Results in pregnancy discrimination cases
- Pasadena pregnancy discrimination questions
- Keep reading
What counts as pregnancy discrimination in California
Under FEHA, “sex” includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions. So treating you worse because you are pregnant, were pregnant, or might become pregnant is sex discrimination. Employers with 5 or more full- or part-time employees are covered.
It reaches more than firing:
- Bad job decisions, like a demotion, fewer hours or a pulled job offer.
- Refusing a reasonable accommodation your health care provider advises, like more breaks or a temporary transfer to lighter work.
- Punishing you for leave, or denying or interfering with pregnancy leave.
- Harassment about your pregnancy. That rule covers employers with even 1 employee.
Your decisions about reproductive health, such as using birth control, are also protected. From January 1, 2027, a new law (AB 2563) spells out that sex discrimination includes miscarriage, fertility care, abortion, lactation and contraception. The Legislature calls it a clarification of existing law. Read more in our AB 2563 guide, or start at our pregnancy discrimination overview.
What happened to you at work?
Tap the one that sounds most like your situation. Each has its own rules and its own next step.
Let go soon after you shared the news
Timing matters. A firing that follows your announcement, a leave request or a doctor’s note can point to discrimination, even if your employer gives another reason.
Can you be fired for being pregnant?Fewer shifts, a demotion or a lost raise
You don’t have to be fired to have a claim. Cutting your hours, taking away your accounts, or passing you over for a promotion because you’re pregnant can be sex discrimination under FEHA.
You asked for help and got a no
If your health care provider advises it, your employer must give you a reasonable accommodation, like a stool, extra breaks or less lifting. On a physician’s advice, it must also grant a temporary transfer to a less strenuous job if it reasonably can.
Pregnancy accommodationsYour job changed when you came back
After pregnancy leave, you have the right to return to the same job. The main exceptions are reasons unrelated to your leave, like a genuine layoff. Being replaced, demoted or fired on your return may be retaliation.
Fired after your leaveRemarks about your body, your due date or your “commitment”
Pregnancy harassment is sex harassment. It is unlawful at employers of any size, from 1 employee up. Save the messages and note the dates and who was there.
Hostile work environmentWhich laws protect you at your job?
The size of your employer decides which laws apply. Count everyone on the payroll, full- and part-time.
A quick yes-or-no check
- Harassment rules still protect you California’s ban on harassment covers employers with even 1 employee, so pregnancy-based harassment is still unlawful. The state’s discrimination and pregnancy leave rules start at 5 employees.
- California’s main protections apply FEHA bars pregnancy discrimination and retaliation. You can take up to 4 months of pregnancy leave (PDL) with no minimum time on the job, and ask for reasonable accommodations. If you have worked there more than 12 months and at least 1,250 hours in the last 12 months, you may also get 12 weeks of CFRA bonding leave.
- State law plus federal law Everything in California law applies. Federal law adds the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and Title VII’s ban on pregnancy discrimination, both at 15 or more employees. A federal charge with the EEOC is due within 300 days in California.
- State law, federal law and FMLA You have the state and federal protections above. Federal FMLA leave may also apply, but it runs at the same time as PDL and CFRA, so it does not add extra weeks.
Where a Pasadena pregnancy discrimination case is filed
Most cases start with the Civil Rights Department, not a courthouse. California generally requires a CRD complaint before you can sue under FEHA, and you can ask for an immediate right-to-sue notice. The deadline to file is 3 years from the unlawful act. After a right-to-sue notice, you have 1 year to file the lawsuit.
The CRD has no Pasadena office. The nearest is its Los Angeles office at 320 West 4th Street, Suite 1000, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pasadena has its own courthouse at 300 East Walnut Street. But the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s rules decide which courthouse hears a larger civil case, and it may be a different one, such as the Stanley Mosk Courthouse at 111 North Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles. We handle the filing for you.
For a step-by-step look at the process, see how to file a pregnancy discrimination complaint.
What to do this week
You don’t need to have everything figured out. These small steps protect your options while you decide.
Write a simple timeline
List the dates you told your employer, asked for leave or an accommodation, and anything that changed after: a new schedule, a write-up, a firing. Note who was there.
Keep your own copies
Save texts, emails, schedules, pay stubs and reviews you already have and are allowed to keep. If you’re unsure whether you can keep something, ask us first.
Turn talks into writing
If your manager told you something important out loud, send a short, polite email that sums it up. It creates a dated record. Stick to facts and keep the tone calm.
Copy a “confirming our conversation” emailSubject: Following up on our conversation today Hi [Manager’s name], Thank you for meeting with me on [date]. I want to make sure I understood correctly. You told me that [what was said, for example: my hours will be cut to 20 per week starting next month / I will not be considered for the lead role while I am pregnant]. If I misunderstood anything, please let me know in writing. Thank you, [Your name]
Put requests in writing
Ask for leave or an accommodation by email, and attach your provider’s note if you have one. Your provider does not have to share your diagnosis. Give 30 days’ notice of leave when you can see it coming, or as soon as you can.
Talk with a lawyer before you sign anything
If you’re offered a severance agreement or asked to resign, pause. Those papers often give up your claims. A free case review can tell you what you would be giving up.
Meet a pregnancy discrimination lawyer in Pasadena
Corporate Headquarters
Pasadena
1 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 200Pasadena, CA 91105
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm
Office
Long Beach
One World Trade Center, 8th FloorLong Beach, CA 90831
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm
Visiting our Pasadena office
Pasadena is our Corporate Headquarters.
By train
Metro A Line in central Pasadena
The A Line’s Memorial Park and Del Mar stations both serve central Pasadena.
Nearby
Communities we serve
Pasadena, Altadena, South Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, La Cañada Flintridge, Glendale, Eagle Rock, Alhambra and Monrovia.
From home
Free virtual consultations
On bed rest, recovering or caring for a newborn? Meet us by video or phone. Se habla español.
Results in pregnancy discrimination cases
Every case is different. These are past results our firm has reached for pregnant workers.
$1,950,000Settlement · Pregnancy discrimination and wrongful termination
$1,800,000Settlement · Pregnancy discrimination
$950,000Settlement · Pregnancy discrimination and wrongful termination (hospital employee fired after requesting pregnancy accommodations)
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.
Pasadena pregnancy discrimination questions
How much does a pregnancy discrimination lawyer cost?
We work on contingency: our fee is a percentage of what we recover for you. How case costs are handled is spelled out in your written fee agreement. Your first case review with us is free, and you can do it in person in Pasadena or by video.
Can I be fired for being pregnant in California?
No. Pregnancy is part of “sex” under FEHA, so firing someone because they are pregnant is unlawful at employers with 5 or more employees. Firing you for taking or asking for pregnancy leave or CFRA leave is also unlawful. A firing for reasons truly unrelated to the pregnancy can still be lawful, so the facts and timing matter.
Will my case be heard at the Pasadena courthouse?
Not necessarily. The Los Angeles County Superior Court’s rules decide which courthouse hears a larger civil case, and it may be a different courthouse, such as the Stanley Mosk Courthouse downtown. Most cases start with a Civil Rights Department complaint, and we handle the filing for you.
How long do I have to file a pregnancy discrimination claim?
In California, you generally have 3 years from the unlawful act to file with the Civil Rights Department. Once you get a right-to-sue notice, you have 1 year to file a lawsuit. A federal EEOC charge is due within 300 days. Acting early still helps, because evidence and memories fade.
I work for a small business in Pasadena. Am I protected?
If your employer has 5 or more employees, full- or part-time, FEHA’s discrimination rules and pregnancy leave apply. Harassment rules cover employers with even 1 employee. Federal pregnancy laws start at 15 employees. Not sure of the head count? Tell us what you know.
Keep reading
OverviewPregnancy discrimination in CaliforniaReturningFired after maternity leaveAccommodationsPregnancy accommodationsInland EmpireRiverside pregnancy discrimination lawyerLos AngelesLos Angeles pregnancy discrimination lawyerPasadenaEmployment lawyer in PasadenaExamplesPregnancy discrimination examplesCase valueWhat shapes a case’s valueRetaliationPregnancy retaliation
Sources
- California Civil Rights Department: Employment
- CRD: Pregnancy Disability Leave fact sheet
- CRD: PDL and CFRA bonding guide
- Gov. Code §12926 (definitions)
- Gov. Code §12940 (unlawful practices)
- Gov. Code §12945 (pregnancy leave and accommodation)
- Gov. Code §12960 (CRD filing deadline)
- Gov. Code §12965 (right to sue)
- EEOC: Time limits for filing a charge
- EEOC: Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- U.S. DOL: FMLA
- CRD: Office locations
- LA Superior Court: Stanley Mosk Courthouse
- City of Pasadena: Pasadena Transit Route 10 (Metro A Line stations)
This page gives general information about California law as of November 2026. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every situation is different; talk with a lawyer about yours.
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