Pregnancy Discrimination: What You Have to Prove

If you’re pregnant (maybe even due in the next few weeks) and your employer is cutting your hours, pushing you onto unpaid leave, or treating you differently after you shared your news, take a breath. You’re not alone, and you have rights. Across Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, and greater Florida, pregnancy discrimination still happens: being denied light duty your doctor recommends, “restructured” out of a role just before leave, or passed over for a promotion because you’re expecting.
Quick next step: If something feels off, call Wenzel Fenton Cabassa, P.A. at 813-224-0431 for a free, confidential case review.

Why These Laws Matter for Tampa Bay Employees

Federal and Florida laws protect pregnant workers from unfair treatment. In plain terms: if your employer offers schedule changes, light duty, or time off for other temporary medical limits, they shouldn’t deny you the same because you’re pregnant. They also cannot fire, demote, or refuse to hire you due to pregnancy or childbirth.

How to Prove Pregnancy Discrimination

To build a strong case, we focus on proof of different treatments and clear timelines:

Direct Proof (the “smoking gun”)

• Emails, texts, or comments tying a decision to your pregnancy.
• Statements like “we need someone who won’t be out on leave” or “clients need continuity during your maternity leave.”

Circumstantial Proof (very common and powerful)

• Timing: adverse action right after you disclose your pregnancy or doctor’s restrictions.
• Policy deviations: the company skipped usual steps (no write-ups, no performance plan).
• Comparisons: coworkers with similar temporary limits (not pregnant) were accommodated, but you weren’t.
• Convenience: you were let go just before FMLA or your maternity leave would begin.

Tampa Bay tip: Save everything, especially communications with HR or your manager in Hillsborough or Pinellas County offices, doctors’ notes with work restrictions, and your employee handbook outlining accommodations and leave.

Wondering what to save or how to ask HR without risking your job? Call 813-224-0431—we’ll walk you through it.

Real-World Examples We See in Tampa Bay

• Denied light duty even though others with lifting restrictions got it.
• Forced onto unpaid leave despite doctor-approved restrictions that would allow you to work.
• Hours slashed or role changed after you disclosed your pregnancy.
• “Performance” write-ups that began only after your pregnancy was known.

Talk to a Tampa Pregnancy Discrimination Lawyer Today

If you’re being pushed out, denied light duty, or punished for being pregnant, you deserve support now! Wenzel Fenton Cabassa, P.A., represents employees across Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and all of Florida.
We can review your timeline, preserve key evidence, and help you move forward with confidence so you can focus on a healthy delivery.

FAQs 

Can my employer fire me because I’m pregnant?
Termination decisions can’t be based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

What if my OB gives restrictions (like “no heavy lifting”)?
If your employer accommodates other temporary restrictions (e.g., injuries), they should treat your restrictions similarly.

I’m due soon. Does it still make sense to call a lawyer?
Yes, Wenzel Fenton Cabassa P.A. can act quickly to protect your job, pay, and leave, especially when delivery is near.

Do these protections apply in smaller offices?
Protections depend on the laws that apply to your employer and your situation. Call us to sort out what covers you in Florida.

I’m in St. Petersburg, but the company I work for is in Tampa. Does location matter?
We help employees throughout Tampa Bay and across Florida. Where the company and work occur both matter; let’s review your facts.