Is it odd that I was fired after telling my boss I was pregnant?
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Is it odd that I was fired after telling my boss I was pregnant?
About two weeks ago I found out I was pregnant. I
was working in a law office at the time as a Secretary
but I was being ‘trained’ to do paralegal work. I have
no further education other than a legal secretary
certification. Anyhow, o told my boss I was pregnant
about 1-2 after I found out which was a Thursday.
Note I only worked M-Th. That next Monday my boss
pulled me into his office and fired me without a
warning said that my ‘internship’ was over. But
when I was hired he said ‘this isn’t an internship it’s
all year round.’ What can I do? I have one child and
another on the way. I had no notice and I am in need
of work and as such I have been applying non stop.
But something doesn’t seem right with the way he
fired me.
Asked on October 19, 2016 under Employment Labor Law, Connecticut
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
You may have a valid claim for compensation for being fired due to illegal sex- and/or disability-based discrimination. Law, such as federal law, prohibits employers from discriminating against women in employment; since only women get pregnant, firing a woman due to pregnancy has been held to be anti-woman discrimination. Also, employers cannot discriminate due to disability, including temporary disability, and pregnancy can sometimes be viewed as a temporary disability. The fact that there is no other cause for the termination (they are not doing layoff of several or many employees due to a financial downturn; you do not indicate that you had poor performance previously; etc.) suggests that you are right and you were fired due to pregnancy. Based on what you write, it would be well worth your time to contact the federal EEOC to file a complaint.
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