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Pregnancy discrimination · Los Angeles
Pregnancy discrimination lawyer for Los AngelesOnline, in Pasadena or in Long Beach
We don’t have an office in the City of Los Angeles. We meet LA workers by video, at our Pasadena headquarters or at our Long Beach office.
- 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
300daysTo file a federal EEOC charge
The short answer
A pregnancy discrimination lawyer for Los Angeles workers can help if you were fired, demoted, harassed or refused an accommodation because you’re pregnant. California’s FEHA bars this at employers with 5 or more employees. You generally have 3 years to file with the Civil Rights Department. We have no Los Angeles office: meet us free by video, in Pasadena or in Long Beach.
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 happened at your LA job?
- Find the guide for your situation
- When is your deadline to file?
- Where a Los Angeles pregnancy discrimination case is filed
- Our offices nearest Los Angeles
- Pasadena, Long Beach or online
- Pregnancy discrimination results
- What to do this week
- Los Angeles pregnancy discrimination questions
- Keep reading
What happened at your LA job?
Los Angeles workers come to us from studios, hotels, hospitals, warehouses, stores and offices. Pick the situation closest to yours.
Passed over because you’re “not available”
Giving a project, shift or promotion to someone else because you’re pregnant, or because your employer assumes you’ll be less committed, is sex discrimination under FEHA. Comments about your “availability” are worth writing down word for word.
A job offer withdrawn after you mentioned the pregnancy
FEHA protects job applicants too, not only current employees. Save the offer, the messages after you shared the news, and the withdrawal.
Pregnancy discrimination overviewTreated worse for birth control, fertility care or abortion
California protects your reproductive health decisions at work. From January 1, 2027, AB 2563 also spells out that sex discrimination includes fertility care, abortion, contraception, miscarriage and lactation.
AB 2563 explainedLet go while you were on pregnancy leave
Your employer must give you your job back after pregnancy leave unless it would have ended anyway for reasons unrelated to your leave, like a genuine layoff.
Fired after your leaveThe other parent was refused bonding time
Both parents may take 12 weeks of CFRA bonding leave if eligible, even when they work for the same employer.
Bonding leave for both parentsJokes, comments or pressure about the pregnancy
Pregnancy harassment is sex harassment, and it is unlawful at employers of any size.
Harassment rightsFind the guide for your situation
Short, plain guides to the problems LA workers ask us about most.
Fired for being pregnant
What the law says and how to show the real reason.
Read the guideRefused an accommodation
Breaks, seating, lifting limits and temporary transfers.
Read the guidePregnancy leave (PDL)
Up to 4 months of job-protected leave when you can’t work.
Read the guideIs my leave paid?
How state disability and paid family leave replace part of your wages.
Read the guideMiscarriage or pregnancy loss
Time off and protection after a loss.
Read the guideFiling a complaint
How the Civil Rights Department process works.
Read the guideWhen is your deadline to file?
Enter the date of the firing, demotion or other act. If you already have a right-to-sue notice, add that date too.
File a complaint with the Civil Rights DepartmentEnter a dateRequired before a FEHA lawsuit. Employers with 5 or more employees (1 or more for harassment).
File a charge with the EEOC (federal)Enter a dateFor federal claims. Employers with 15 or more employees.
File your lawsuitEnter a dateCounted from the CRD right-to-sue notice.
These are estimates, not legal advice. Special rules can extend or shorten a deadline. Talk with a lawyer about your exact dates.
Where a Los Angeles pregnancy discrimination case is filed
A California case usually starts at the Civil Rights Department. Its Los Angeles office is at 320 West 4th Street, Suite 1000, 10th Floor, open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can ask the CRD for an immediate right-to-sue notice, then file a lawsuit within 1 year.
Many civil cases are heard at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, in the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Central District. The court’s rules decide which courthouse hears your case. The right courthouse depends on the facts, and we take care of the filing.
If you win under FEHA, the court can order your employer to pay your attorney’s fees. Read more about getting a right-to-sue notice.
Our offices nearest Los Angeles
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
Pasadena, Long Beach or online
We have no office in the City of Los Angeles. Meet us at our Pasadena headquarters, our Long Beach office, or from home by video, which helps if you’re on bed rest or caring for a newborn.
South county
Long Beach
One World Trade Center, 8th Floor, Long Beach, CA 90831. Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.
From anywhere
Free virtual consultations
Meet by video or phone from home, work or the hospital. Se habla español.
By train
Metro A Line
The A Line runs between Long Beach and Pomona, with stops in downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena.
Pregnancy discrimination results
Past results our firm has reached for pregnant workers. Every case is different.
$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.
What to do this week
A few steps now protect your job and your claim.
Mark your deadlines
Use the calculator above, and put the dates in your phone. Don’t wait until the last month; evidence gets harder to find.
Ask for your return date in writing
If you’re on or about to take pregnancy leave, you can ask your employer to put its promise to reinstate you in writing.
Copy a reinstatement requestSubject: Written confirmation of my return to work Hi [HR or manager name], I am [on / about to start] pregnancy leave (PDL) starting [date]. My expected return date is [date]. Under California’s pregnancy leave (PDL) rules, I am asking for written confirmation that I will be returned to my same position, [job title], when my leave ends. Please send this confirmation by [date]. Thank you, [Your name]
Save the paper trail
Keep texts, emails, schedules and pay stubs you already have. Write down comments word for word, with dates and names.
Book a free review
Tell us what happened by video or phone, or meet us in Pasadena or Long Beach. Don’t sign a severance agreement before you talk with a lawyer.
Los Angeles 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. The first case review is free, by video, by phone, or in person in Pasadena or Long Beach.
Do you have an office in Los Angeles?
No. We have no office in the City of Los Angeles. Los Angeles clients meet us through free virtual consultations, at our Corporate Headquarters at 1 S. Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena, or at our Long Beach office at One World Trade Center. All are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.
Can I be fired while on pregnancy leave in California?
Not because of the leave. After pregnancy leave, you have the right to return to the same job. The main exception is when the job would have ended anyway for reasons unrelated to your leave, like a genuine layoff. Being fired during or right after leave can be retaliation or discrimination, and it is worth a free review.
What is AB 2563, and does it help me?
AB 2563 takes effect January 1, 2027. It writes into FEHA that sex discrimination includes childbirth, miscarriage, fertility care, abortion, lactation and contraception, whether actual or perceived. The Legislature calls it a clarification of existing law, so these protections are not brand new. It makes your rights easier to point to.
Do I have to file with the EEOC or the CRD?
For a California FEHA claim, you file with the Civil Rights Department, generally within 3 years. A federal claim goes to the EEOC, within 300 days in California, and applies only to employers with 15 or more employees. We help you decide which path, or both, fits your case.
Keep reading
OverviewPregnancy discrimination in CaliforniaReturningFired after maternity leaveNew lawAB 2563 and 2027 changesHeadquartersPasadena pregnancy discrimination lawyerInland EmpireRiverside pregnancy discrimination lawyerLos AngelesEmployment lawyer in Los AngelesExamplesPregnancy 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)
- Gov. Code §12945.2 (CFRA)
- Gov. Code §12960 (CRD filing deadline)
- Gov. Code §12965 (right to sue)
- EEOC: Time limits for filing a charge
- EEOC: Pregnancy discrimination
- LA Metro: A Line
- CRD: Office locations
- LA Superior Court: Stanley Mosk Courthouse
- City of Pasadena: Pasadena Transit Route 10 (Metro A Line stations)
- LA Metro: Regional Connector opening
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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