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11801 Pierce St., Suite 200
Riverside, CA 92505. Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. In-person, phone and video meetings.
Pregnancy discrimination · Inland Empire
Pregnancy discrimination lawyer in RiversideFor Inland Empire workers
Lifting limits ignored, shifts taken away, or let go after you shared the news? California law protects pregnant workers. Meet us at our Riverside office 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 that must accommodate pregnancy
1+employeeEmployers covered by the harassment ban
The short answer
A pregnancy discrimination lawyer in Riverside can help if your employer fired you, cut your shifts, ignored your provider’s work limits or forced you onto leave because you’re pregnant. California law requires employers with 5 or more employees to make reasonable accommodations and, on a physician’s advice, a temporary transfer to lighter work when reasonably possible. You generally have 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department.
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
- Riverside pregnancy discrimination attorney help for physical jobs
- Can you get lighter duty or a transfer?
- What happened at your Inland Empire job?
- What to do this week
- Meet a pregnancy discrimination lawyer in Riverside
- Courts, agencies and getting to us in Riverside
- How a Riverside County pregnancy case moves forward
- Results for pregnant workers
- Riverside pregnancy discrimination questions
- Keep reading
Riverside pregnancy discrimination attorney help for physical jobs
Many Inland Empire jobs are on your feet: warehouses and distribution centers, hospitals and clinics, stores, schools and county offices. Pregnancy can change what your body can safely do at work. The law expects your employer to adjust, not push you out.
Under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions are part of “sex.” Treating you worse because of them is discrimination. For employers with 5 or more employees, the law also requires:
- Reasonable accommodation when your health care provider advises it, such as lifting limits, more frequent breaks or a place to sit.
- A temporary transfer to a less strenuous or hazardous position on a physician’s advice, if the employer can reasonably do it. It doesn’t have to create a new job or bump a more senior worker.
- Up to 4 months of pregnancy leave (PDL) when you’re disabled by pregnancy, with no minimum time on the job. Read the full PDL guide.
Federal law adds the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act at 15 or more employees. It says an employer can’t force you onto leave when another accommodation would let you keep working. See our pregnancy accommodations guide and the pregnancy discrimination overview.
Can you get lighter duty or a transfer?
Answer three quick questions to see where you stand.
A quick yes-or-no check
- Start with your provider Your accommodation rights are tied to your provider’s advice. Ask for a short note listing your work limits. Your provider does not have to share your diagnosis with your employer.
- Fewer state rules apply, but not none California’s pregnancy accommodation and leave rules start at 5 employees. The ban on harassment applies at any size. Talk with us about what else may protect you.
- This may break the law Refusing a reasonable accommodation your provider advised can violate Government Code §12945. If your employer has 15 or more employees, forcing leave when another accommodation would work can also violate federal law. Save the refusal and talk with us.
- Get the change in writing Good. Ask your employer to confirm the change by email, including how long it will last. If it is later taken away, or your hours drop because of it, you’ll have a record.
What happened at your Inland Empire job?
Pick the one closest to your situation.
Sent home “until after the baby”
If you can do your job, with or without a reasonable accommodation, your employer generally can’t make you stop because you’re pregnant. Pregnancy leave is for when you are disabled by pregnancy, as your provider certifies.
Points or write-ups for prenatal visits
Prenatal care is a reason for pregnancy leave, which can be taken in pieces. Paid sick leave, at least 5 days or 40 hours a year, can also cover your own prenatal care after 90 days on the job.
Paid sick leave rightsFewer hours after you told your supervisor
Cutting your schedule because you’re pregnant is discrimination, even if you keep your job. Compare your schedules and pay stubs from before and after you shared the news.
Your spot was gone when you came back
After pregnancy leave, you have the right to the same job, unless it would have ended anyway for reasons unrelated to your leave, like a genuine layoff.
Fired after your leaveBack at work, but no lactation break or room
You have the right to reasonable break time and a clean space near your work area that isn’t a bathroom.
Lactation rightsWhat to do this week
Small steps now make a real difference later.
Get your work limits on paper
Ask your provider for a note that lists what you can and can’t do, and for how long. A diagnosis isn’t required.
Ask in writing
Email or text your request to your supervisor or HR, and keep a copy. Attach the note. Give 30 days’ notice of planned leave when you can.
Copy a lighter-duty requestSubject: Request for pregnancy accommodation Hi [Supervisor or HR name], I am pregnant, and my [doctor / health care provider] has advised the following work changes starting [date]: [for example: no lifting over 20 pounds, a 10-minute break every 2 hours, a stool at my station]. I am asking for a reasonable accommodation under California law. If these changes can’t be made in my current role, I am asking for a temporary transfer to a less strenuous position, such as [example task or role], as my provider advised. My provider’s note is attached. Please reply in writing by [date]. Thank you, [Your name] [Employee ID, if any]
Track what happens next
Write down every answer, schedule change and write-up, with dates and names. Keep your schedules and pay stubs.
Don’t quit without advice
Quitting can make some claims harder. If work feels impossible, talk with us first about your options, including leave.
Meet a pregnancy discrimination lawyer in Riverside
Office
Riverside
11801 Pierce St., Suite 200Riverside, CA 92505
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm
Corporate Headquarters
Pasadena
1 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 200Pasadena, CA 91105
Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm
Courts, agencies and getting to us in Riverside
Riverside is home to a Civil Rights Department office, which is not true of every region.
State agency
Civil Rights Department, Riverside
1325 Spruce Street, Suite 320, Riverside, CA 92507. Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. The CRD says free parking is available.
Court
Riverside Historic Courthouse
4050 Main Street, Riverside. Riverside County Superior Court hears civil cases here. Since August 1, 2026, unlimited civil cases from areas including Lake Elsinore, Hemet and Murrieta are filed here too.
By train
Metrolink in Riverside
Riverside–Downtown (4066 Vine St.) and Riverside–La Sierra (10901 Indiana Ave.) stations serve the city. Call us for directions from your stop.
Communities
Across the Inland Empire
Riverside, Corona, Norco, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Moreno Valley, Perris, Menifee, Temecula, San Bernardino, Fontana, Rialto and Ontario.
How a Riverside County pregnancy case moves forward
Most FEHA cases begin with a complaint to the Civil Rights Department. You have 3 years from the unlawful act to file. You can ask the CRD for an immediate right-to-sue notice, and then you have 1 year to file a lawsuit. If you win, the court can order your employer to pay your attorney’s fees.
Riverside County cases are heard in Riverside County Superior Court, which hears civil cases at the Historic Courthouse in Riverside and at other locations, such as Palm Springs. If you work across the county line, San Bernardino County Superior Court has civil locations in San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga and Victorville. We’ll tell you where your case belongs.
Learn more about filing a CRD complaint and getting a right to sue, or read our Riverside employment lawyer page.
Results for pregnant workers
These are past results our firm has reached in pregnancy discrimination cases. Each case turns on its own facts.
$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.
Riverside 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 is free, at our Riverside office, by phone or by video.
Can my employer make me go on leave instead of giving me light duty?
Usually not, if your provider has advised an accommodation that would let you keep working. California requires reasonable accommodation at employers with 5 or more employees, and a temporary transfer to lighter work on a physician’s advice when reasonably possible. At 15 or more employees, the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act also bars forcing leave when another accommodation would work.
Is there a Civil Rights Department office in Riverside?
Yes. The CRD’s Riverside office is at 1325 Spruce Street, Suite 320, open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. If you hire us, we prepare and file the complaint for you as part of your case, and we can explain what happens after it is filed.
I live in Riverside but work in San Bernardino County. Can you help?
Yes. We serve workers across the Inland Empire, including San Bernardino, Fontana, Rialto and Ontario. The same California laws protect you in both counties. Where a lawsuit is filed depends on the facts, and we’ll explain the options in your free case review.
Can I use sick leave for prenatal appointments?
Yes. California paid sick leave, at least 5 days or 40 hours a year, can be used for your own prenatal care after 90 days of employment. If pregnancy keeps you from working, pregnancy leave can also be taken in shorter pieces for appointments.
Keep reading
OverviewPregnancy discrimination in CaliforniaLight dutyPregnancy accommodationsPDLPregnancy leave (PDL) guideHeadquartersPasadena pregnancy discrimination lawyerLos AngelesLos Angeles pregnancy discrimination lawyerRiversideEmployment lawyer in RiversideExamplesPregnancy discrimination examplesCase valueWhat shapes a case’s valueRetaliationPregnancy retaliation
Sources
- California Civil Rights Department: Employment
- CRD: Riverside office
- CRD: Pregnancy Disability Leave fact sheet
- CRD: PDL and CFRA bonding guide
- Gov. Code §12945 (pregnancy leave and accommodation)
- Gov. Code §12940 (unlawful practices)
- Gov. Code §12960 (CRD filing deadline)
- Gov. Code §12965 (right to sue)
- EEOC: Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
- EEOC: Pregnancy discrimination
- Labor Commissioner: Paid sick leave
- Labor Commissioner: Lactation accommodation
- Riverside Superior Court: Historic Courthouse
- Riverside Superior Court: Civil filing location adjustments (Aug. 1, 2026)
- San Bernardino Superior Court: Civil expands to Rancho Cucamonga and Victorville
- Riverside County Transportation Commission: Metrolink 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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