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Can You Sue for Being Fired While Pregnant in New York

Yes, you can sue if you were fired while pregnant in New York, but success depends on proving that pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition motivated the decision or that your employer refused reasonable accommodations and then ended your job. Start by preserving emails, texts, schedules, performance reviews, policies, and your termination notice, since strong documentation anchors any claim that you were fired while pregnant in New York.

Legal Grounds When Fired While Pregnant in New York

Under federal anti-discrimination law, it is unlawful to discharge or otherwise discriminate because of pregnancy, and these protections work alongside state and city rules.1

Under the federal accommodation rule for pregnant workers, employers must provide reasonable accommodations for known pregnancy-related limitations unless doing so would create an undue hardship.2

Under New York’s labor requirements, employers must allow lactation break time and provide a private, non-bathroom space for expressing breast milk.3

Evidence That Supports a Claim

Courts and agencies look for patterns, timing, and consistency. Helpful evidence includes a clean record before disclosure followed by sudden write ups, reduced hours, or removal from a schedule after you announced your pregnancy. Keep notes of comments about your commitment or availability. Track shifting explanations for the termination. Save examples showing coworkers received accommodations that you were denied. The stronger your paper trail, the easier it is to show that you were fired while pregnant in New York rather than for legitimate performance reasons.

Reasonable Accommodations and the Interactive Process

Many claims arise because simple accommodations were refused. Under the federal accommodation rule for pregnant workers, covered employers must engage in a good-faith interactive process and provide reasonable accommodations for known pregnancy-related limitations unless doing so would create an undue hardship.4

Under state law, the Law requires employers to consider practical adjustments and treat pregnancy-related conditions as temporary disabilities for accommodation purposes.5

At the city level, the law imposes clear accommodation duties for pregnancy, childbirth, and related needs.6

Common adjustments include seating for standing roles, water and restroom breaks, short lifting limits, schedule changes for prenatal visits, and brief recovery time. Put requests in writing and keep every response. If you asked for modest changes and were ignored or punished, that history supports a claim that you were fired while pregnant in New York.

Where and How to File in New York

You can file a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for federal claims. Most New York workers have 180–300 days from the discriminatory act, so act promptly.7

For enforcement, you may file a charge with the New York State Division of Human Rights, and if you work in the city, with the NYC Commission on Human Rights; cross-filing is often available to preserve claims in more than one forum.8

Agency filing can be done online or by phone. Internal complaint procedures at your workplace can run in parallel and may generate helpful documents. When you meet with an intake officer or attorney bring a concise timeline and organize your proof around key events to show you were fired while pregnant in New York.

Remedies You Can Seek When Fired while pregnant in New York

As to remedies, federal courts and state or city agencies can award back pay, reinstatement or front pay, compensatory damages, attorneys’ fees, and require policy changes and training;9 state proceedings can also order corrective action tailored to stop the discrimination.10

If accommodations were wrongfully denied, orders can require the employer to provide them going forward. Settlements may include neutral references and record corrections that help you move on after being fired while pregnant in New York.

Strategy Tips Before you Sue

Ask for your personnel file if permitted by policy, gather supportive witness statements, and keep a log of all communications. If your employer offers severance, read the release carefully and consult counsel before signing since a release can waive your right to bring a claim. Consider agency filing first because it can preserve deadlines and prompt an early resolution. Throughout the process keep your explanation simple and consistent that you were fired while pregnant in New York and that reasonable accommodations would have allowed you to keep working.

Conclusion

You can sue for being fired while pregnant in New York, and you have strong laws on your side. The key is timely action, a clear record of requests and responses, and an organized timeline that links your pregnancy or accommodation needs to the job decision. With Title VII, the PWFA, New York State Human Rights Law, the NYC Human Rights Law, and New York Labor Law, you have multiple paths to relief that protect employment and family health.

Find a Pregnancy Discrimination Lawyer

If your facts show you were fired while pregnant in New York, speak with an employment attorney quickly to protect deadlines and strengthen your case. A lawyer will match your facts to the right laws, calculate back pay and other damages, prepare filings before deadlines, and advocate for accommodations or a settlement that aligns with your goals.

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  1. “The terms ‘because of sex’ or ‘on the basis of sex’ include, but are not limited to, because of or on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; and women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions shall be treated the same for all employment-related purposes, including receipt of benefits under fringe benefit programs, as other persons not so affected but similar in their ability or inability to work, and nothing in section 2000e-2(h) of this title shall be interpreted to permit otherwise.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e(k) ↩︎
  2. “It shall be an unlawful employment practice for a covered entity to—
    (1) not make reasonable accommodations to the known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of a qualified employee, unless such covered entity can demonstrate that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the business of such covered entity . . . .”42 U.S.C. § 2000gg-1(a) ↩︎
  3. “An employer shall provide paid break time for thirty minutes, and permit an employee to use existing paid break time or meal time for time in excess of thirty minutes, to allow an employee to express breast milk for such employee’s nursing child each time such employee has reasonable need to express breast milk for up to three years following child birth. No employer shall discriminate in any way against an employee who chooses to express breast milk in the work place.” New York Labor Law § 206-c ↩︎
  4. “It shall be an unlawful employment practice for a covered entity to—(1)not make reasonable accommodations to the known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of a qualified employee, unless such covered entity can demonstrate that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the business of such covered entity” 42 U.S. Code § 2000gg-1 (a)” ↩︎
  5. “It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer, licensing agency, employment agency or labor organization to refuse to provide reasonable accommodations to the known disabilities, or pregnancy-related conditions, of an employee, prospective employee or member in connection with a job or occupation sought or held or participation in a training program.” New York State Human Rights Law § 296 3(a) ↩︎
  6. “It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer to refuse to provide a reasonable accommodation, as defined in section 8-102, to the needs of an employee for the employee’s pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition that will allow the employee to perform the essential requisites of the job, provided that such employee’s pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition is known or should have been known by the employer. In any case pursuant to this subdivision where the need for reasonable accommodation is placed in issue, it shall be an affirmative defense that the person aggrieved by the alleged discriminatory practice could not, with reasonable accommodation, satisfy the essential requisites of the job (b) Employer lactation accommodation.” NYC Admin. Code § 8-107(22) ↩︎
  7. “A charge . . . shall be filed within one hundred and eighty days . . . except that . . . where the person aggrieved has initially instituted proceedings with a State or local agency . . . such charge shall be filed . . . within three hundred days after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred . . . .” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) ↩︎
  8. “Any person aggrieved by an unlawful discriminatory practice or an act of discriminatory harassment or violence as set forth in chapter 6 of this title, or such person’s attorney, may make, sign and file with the commission a verified complaint in writing which shall: (i) state the name of the person alleged to have committed the unlawful discriminatory practice or act of discriminatory harassment or violence complained of, and the address of such person if known; (ii) set forth the particulars of the alleged unlawful discriminatory practice or act of discriminatory harassment or violence; and (iii) contain such other information as may be required by the commission.” NYC Commission on Human Rights § 8-109 (a) ↩︎
  9. “If the court finds that the respondent has intentionally engaged in or is intentionally engaging in an unlawful employment practice charged in the complaint, the court may enjoin the respondent from engaging in such unlawful employment practice, and order such affirmative action as may be appropriate, which may include, but is not limited to, reinstatement or hiring of employees, with or without back pay (payable by the employer, employment agency, or labor organization, as the case may be, responsible for the unlawful employment practice), or any other equitable relief as the court deems appropriate. Back pay liability shall not accrue from a date more than two years prior to the filing of a charge with the Commission. Interim earnings or amounts earnable with reasonable diligence by the person or persons discriminated against shall operate to reduce the back pay otherwise allowable.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(g)(1) ↩︎
  10. “The commissioner shall issue . . . an order . . . including such of the following provisions . . . as will effectuate the purposes of this article: (i) requiring the respondent to cease and desist; (ii) requiring affirmative action, including reinstatement with or without back pay; (iii) awarding of compensatory damages; (iv) awarding of punitive damages; . . . (vi) assessing civil fines and penalties; (vii) requiring a report of the manner of compliance.” N.Y. Exec. Law § 297(4)(c)” ↩︎