Legal Question in Disability Law in California

If your CA employer has at least 5 employees, they can not fire you because you are pregnant, must allow you to continue working as long as you are able, must 'reasonably' accommodate your disability, must allow up to 4 months of unpaid pregnancy leave under FEHA, and return you to the same or an equivalent job upon return to work, with accrued benefits.

If your CA employer has at least 50 employees, and you are employed for at least 12 months, have at least 1,250 hours worked in the 12 months prior to the leave, then you would be eligible for 12 weeks of unpaid FMLA / CFRA maternity / medical leave when you are unable to work [or must care for an immediate family member] because of a �SERIOUS health condition� [that is properly confirmed and documented by the doctor], continuation of group health benefits, restoration to the same or an equivalent job upon return to work, with accrued benefits. The employer can require you to use all accrued unused vacations and leave[s] as part of the 12 weeks, so as to make that portion 'paid'. The leave may be taken on reasonable intermittent basis if that need is properly documented by your medical provider. Being out sick with minor illness or injury does not fall within the protections.

If you qualify for both, you get both. If you are out longer than those guarantees, they can terminate you, unless the disability rules apply.

When you are released to return to work within the leave time limits, an employer is not allowed to "discriminate" against a legally defined "disability" by any adverse employment action like termination, demotion, harassment, hostile environment, etc. An employer is obligated to provide 'REASONABLE' accommodation of a disability upon proper medical certification of your disability and specific medical requirements necessary to accommodate you, IF accommodation can be done without substantial burden to the company, and IF such accommodation will allow you to still perform ALL the essential functions of your job. Violation and failure to accommodate is grounds for a lawsuit. Every case is determined upon its merits and all the facts.

If you think you can prove they failed to do so under those rules, feel free to contact me.

Now, if they violated those rules, contact me for the legal help you'll need. I'll be happy to do so. I've been doing these cases for over 20 years.

It depends on why the employer fired you. If it fired you because you were out on disability leave, it may have violated your rights but many facts are missing, such as how long you were out for, prior history of absence, the size of the company and its ability to cover for you, the nature of your position, what information you have conveyed to the employer, the company's leave of absence policies, whether there were other issues regarding your employment, just to name a few. Being on disability does not automatically protect a job. But if you believe your were fired because of being on disability leave, you should have an attorney review your case for an evaluation of your legal options.