When Can (and Should) You File a Claim for Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace?

Pregnant workers in Maryland have clear legal rights under state and federal law. These include the right to be free from all forms of pregnancy-related discrimination. If you have experienced discrimination in the workplace, you may be entitled to financial compensation and/or other remedies, and you will want to talk to an experienced Maryland pregnancy discrimination lawyer about filing a claim.

Here is an overview of what you need to know about filing a pregnancy discrimination claim in Maryland:

What Constitutes Pregnancy Discrimination?

Pregnancy discrimination can take many different forms. As a result, if you believe that you have been treated differently at work based on your pregnancy (or your decision to try to become pregnant), it will be worth speaking with a lawyer about your legal rights. Some of the most common forms of pregnancy discrimination in the workplace include:

• Refusing to hire job candidates because they are pregnant
• Firing employees because they are pregnant (or trying to become pregnant)
• Improperly denying family and medical leave for pregnancy (or firing workers who request leave)
• Pregnancy-related harassment (i.e., making lewd or offensive comments about a worker’s pregnancy)
• Reassigning, refusing to promote and taking other adverse employment actions against pregnant workers based on their pregnancy

Under state and federal law, employers in Maryland are also required to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers who need them. If you have properly requested and been denied a reasonable accommodation related to your pregnancy, a Maryland pregnancy discrimination lawyer may be able to help you file a claim in this scenario as well.

What Employers Are Covered?

The pregnancy-related protections afforded to Maryland workers exist under five primary statutes: (i) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (which prohibits pregnancy discrimination as a form of sex-based discrimination); (ii) the Pregnancy Discrimination Act; (iii) the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; (iv) Maryland’s Reasonable Accommodations for Pregnant Workers Act; and, (v) Section 20-602 of the State Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. These laws all apply to employers with 15 or more employees, although the anti-harassment provisions of Section 20-602 apply to all employers in Maryland regardless of size.

Importantly, some counties in Maryland have adopted ordinances that prohibit discrimination in the workplace and apply to all private employers operating within their jurisdiction. Baltimore County is an example. When you hire an experienced Maryland pregnancy discrimination lawyer to assess your legal rights, your lawyer will be able to examine all applicable protections and assist you with taking legal action by any and all means available.

What Employees Are Covered?

Anti-discrimination laws don’t just protect workers who are pregnant. For example, as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) explains, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of:

• Current pregnancy
• Past pregnancy
• Potential pregnancy
• Medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth (including breastfeeding)
• Having or choosing not to have an abortion

This means that you do not necessarily have to be pregnant, nursing or caring for a newborn child in order to file a claim. If you believe that you have experienced any type of adverse employment action related to any aspect of your pregnancy (or efforts to become pregnant), this is a scenario in which you will want to learn more about your legal rights.

How Do You File a Pregnancy Discrimination Claim in Maryland?

If you have a pregnancy discrimination claim, how do you take legal action in Maryland? The answer to this question depends on the specific law (or laws) that protect you. Generally speaking, seeking remedies for pregnancy discrimination in the workplace will involve filing a claim with either the EEOC, the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights (MCCR), or a local administrative agency like the Baltimore County Human Relations Commission. If you are not able to obtain a satisfactory outcome at the agency level, then your Maryland pregnancy discrimination lawyer will be able to take your claim to court.

Speak with an Experienced Maryland Pregnancy Discrimination Lawyer in Confidence

Have you experienced pregnancy discrimination (or denial of a reasonable pregnancy-related accommodation) at work in Maryland? If so, our lawyers can help you understand your legal rights and make informed decisions about your next steps. To speak with an experienced Maryland pregnancy discrimination lawyer at The Law Firm of J.W. Stafford in confidence, give us a call at 410-514-6099 or tell us how we can reach you online today.