Pregnant and may be fired

[devnew]

What is the name of your state?Texas

I am currently employed in an industry that has rapid turnover. I have been with this particular company for 6 months and have had upper management state how well my I am doing and have won awards as well. I have never been written up or verbally reprimanded. My manager and General Manager know of my pregnancy and have just been relieved of there positions. Now that there are new managers coming aboard the grapevine say we should all be looking for new jobs. Because I am pregnant I know that it will be hard for me to find employment + the insurance benefits along with it. Could I file a lawsuit if I am fired, because I am pregnant?

Thank you,
Devin

 

[Beth3]

Could I file a lawsuit if I am fired, because I am pregnant? If you are fired BECAUSE you are pregnant, you can file a claim of prohibited discrimination against the company with your State's equal rights division or the federal EEOC. You must first pursue this option before you can file a lawsuit.

Two things you should be aware of:

1. Being pregnant does not provide you with special protections. If you are terminated on the same basis as other employees, that is not discrimination and it's not unlawful.

2. Until you've been with your employer for 12 months, you are not entitled to any statutory leave time. If, when the time comes, they terminate you because you aren't eligible for any medical leave that is lawful as long as a similarly situated employee (someone with less than 12 months of service who also needs 6+ weeks of medical leave) would also be terminated.

You may be getting ahead of yourself though. Whenever new management comes on board people are bound to be nervous and the grapevine is going to be rife with the worst case scenario. I suggest you wait and see what happens.