If I was fired at 8 months pregnant for refusing to sign a written warning, is this legal?

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If I was fired at 8 months pregnant for refusing to sign a written warning, is this legal?

They also told me I lacked interest in the company. I had never been writtren up before but within a 2 week timeframe have been written up twice. Then 2 weeks before this incident my non-pregnant co-worker broke HIPPA regulations and is still employed.

Asked on August 16, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Pennsylvania

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 11 years ago | Contributor

It may be illegal. The law prevents harassment of or discrimination against an employee because she is pregnant--and that applies even if the treatment is allegedly based on some other issue or conduct, if the facts do not support that claim and suggest the real reason is harassment of or discrimination against a pregnant employee.

However, if there was some actual violation or performance issue, you could be disciplined for it, even though you are pregnant; being pregnant does not excuse legitimate work issues. So the key factor is whether or not there were grounds for the disciplinary action; if there were not, you may have grounds for a legal action. If you feel there were no grounds for the action, you should consult in detail about the situation with an employment law attorney.


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