Understanding Pregnancy Discrimination and Your Rights in New Jersey
At NJ Employment Lawyers, LLC, we advocate for the rights of working mothers and expectant employees. If your employer has denied accommodations, treated you differently, or retaliated against you because of your pregnancy, you may have a legal claim for pregnancy discrimination.
Pregnancy discrimination is a form of unlawful employment discrimination that occurs when an employee or job applicant is treated unfavorably due to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition. It can take many forms, including: Refusing to hire or promote a pregnant person
Reducing work hours or responsibilities after learning of a pregnancy
Forcing an employee to take leave even though they are able and willing to work
Failing to provide reasonable accommodations, such as modified tasks or schedules
Firing or disciplining someone for taking maternity or family leave
Such conduct is prohibited under both the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD).
In New Jersey, employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees, including changes to job duties or work schedules when medically advised. These accommodations might include: Allowing more frequent breaks
Light-duty assignments
Temporary transfers to less hazardous roles
Time off to recover from childbirth
Employers may not retaliate against an employee for requesting accommodations. Denying these requests without justification may constitute discrimination.
Employees in New Jersey may qualify for job-protected leave under multiple statutes, including: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) – Up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for childbirth and bonding with a new child.
– Up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for childbirth and bonding with a new child. New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA) – Similar protections for bonding leave, often usable consecutively with FMLA.
– Similar protections for bonding leave, often usable consecutively with FMLA. New Jersey Temporary Disability Benefits – Provides partial wage replacement during pregnancy and recovery.
– Provides partial wage replacement during pregnancy and recovery. New Jersey Family Leave Insurance (FLI) – Pays a portion of wages while bonding with a newborn or caring for a family member.
If your employer discourages, penalizes, or terminates you for using these leave entitlements, that may be grounds for legal action.
Wondering if you've experienced pregnancy discrimination? Some red flags include: A sudden change in your performance reviews after announcing your pregnancy
Exclusion from meetings, training, or advancement opportunities
Being told your pregnancy will 'interfere' with your duties
Discipline or job loss shortly after taking maternity leave
Each of these may be more than just poor treatment—they could be legal violations under state and federal law.
We understand how emotionally and financially stressful pregnancy discrimination can be. Our attorneys at NJ Employment Lawyers, LLC will take the time to understand your experience, gather evidence, and fight for the compensation and accountability you deserve.
We've successfully handled cases involving layoffs during maternity leave, denied accommodations, and retaliation for using family leave. Whether through settlement negotiations or courtroom litigation, we work tirelessly to protect your rights and restore your peace of mind.
If you're experiencing pregnancy discrimination in New Jersey, you don't have to face it alone. Reach out to our team today to take the first step toward justice.
Address:101 Eisenhower Pkwy #300
Roseland, NJ 07068
Phone: (973) 358-7027
About Us:
NJ Employment Lawyers, LLC represents employees across New Jersey in pregnancy discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, and other employment law matters. We are proud to defend the rights of working parents every day.
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CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Meat, dairy allergies from tick bites "skyrocketing" on Martha's Vineyard, expert says
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New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Does Your Face Need Work? She'll Tell You.
Imagine this: You are a person of a certain age who is bothered by the sagging skin on your neck. On Instagram, an image of the newly rejuvenated Kris Jenner jumps out at you. For as long as she and the Kardashians have been famous, their faces have made an argument against the idea that God created us as we should be. But now, Ms. Jenner looks dewier than her daughters. Even if you lament the family's effects on American culture, it is hard not to admire the surgical handiwork of Steven M. Levine, a famed Park Avenue doctor who Ms. Jenner readily names as the one responsible for her face-lift. Unfortunately, you cannot get a consult. An automated voice message at Dr. Levine's office states that he is accepting new patients only via referral. You might, at this point, head to Reddit and look through scores of reviews for other plastic surgeons whose patients walk away pleased with what they regard to be a similar result. Or you might schedule an appointment with Melinda Farina, a 44-year-old former dental assistant who over the last decade has become one of the most significant players on the plastic surgery scene. Unlike Dr. Levine, Ms. Farina does not perform face-lifts, tummy tucks or nose jobs. Instead, she is a consultant who calls herself the Beauty Broker and charges around $750 for an hourlong consultation, after which she connects clients to the surgeons she thinks best fit their aesthetic and can work within their budgets. (She also has a team of eight consultants who work for her; their fees start at $350 per consult.) From there, she may handle myriad tasks associated with surgery — among them translating medical jargon, soothing frayed nerves and handling aftercare. A decade ago, prime players within the beauty industry were busy selling the idea that the best way to reverse the aging process was not with invasive surgeries but with a variety of injections and laser treatments. Recently, the pendulum has swung back. Part of this, doctors say, is because of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, which can lead to sagging skin after weight loss that cannot be easily addressed without surgery. But it is also because of the proliferation of face-lifts, nose jobs and eyelid surgeries featured on Instagram and TikTok. With more awareness and information comes more choice and more uncertainty. Enter: Ms. Farina. She has benefited from the secrecy and shame that was once associated with plastic surgery, marketing herself as a person capable of helping clients find the best physicians. She has appeared on her client Gwyneth Paltrow's podcast, talking about her increasing antipathy toward fillers. She has spoken before scores of surgeons at some of the plastic surgery industry's biggest conferences. And she is doing everything she can to ensure that even as high-profile people begin to speak more openly about the work they've had done, her middle-person services remain in demand. Ms. Farina has also made waves by arriving at the party with her own set of knives. She has gotten into legal spats with beauty influencers. She has publicly accused two of the industry's best-known doctors of botching procedures. (One of them sued her. The case was settled out of court.) 'We sign NDAs with all our celebs — and discretion and privacy is the most important thing all the time,' Ms. Farina said on a recent afternoon, sitting at a banquette at the Surrey Hotel on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She was clad in a white Balmain skirt with black horses, a rose gold Rolex President dangling from her wrist as she picked at an artichoke salad. At her side, a gold Prada scrunchie was attached to the gold strap of her black Hermès Kelly bag. Ms. Farina likes to say that her approach is less rather than more. 'I'm a shoemaker with no shoes,' is how she tried to make the point that she is not overly reconstructed, before allowing that she has had certain things done: a nose job at 19, a fat transfer to volumize her breasts at 36, a breast reduction at 41. Fillers and lip injections ('biggest regret,' she said) at some point as well. She did also have shoes; they were four-inch Jimmy Choos. Earlier that day, Ms. Farina had accompanied a client ('they're not patients; I don't have a medical degree,' she said) to a surgery. The client was from Dubai. Ms. Farina said the client was in New York for a face-lift and hair transplant. 'You gotta get them in, get them out, get them back to Dubai and make sure everything goes well and that there's no issues at all,' she said. 'So we have a whole post-op team taking care of her. She's a pretty prominent figure.' Of course, Ms. Farina could not say who she was. 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('I'm not interested in being part of your article,' said Dr. Hovsepian, when reached for comment.) In 2019, Ms. Farina was sued by Dr. Simon Ourian, a Los Angeles cosmetic dermatologist to Lady Gaga and several Kardashians. It happened after she called him a 'fraud hack' on Instagram. Dr. Ourian, who had his license revoked in 2009 by the Medical Board of California but was ultimately placed on probation until 2013, never worked directly with Ms. Farina. He claimed in his lawsuit that she was 'steering clients/patients to aesthetic and cosmetic professionals who pay 'membership fees'' to her firm, while 'disparaging other doctors.' Ultimately, Ms. Farina settled out of court. In an interview, Dr. Ourian said he could not discuss Ms. Farina because of a nondisparagement agreement. Then he called her a 'good friend and a bad enemy.' 'I agree,' she said. 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But so far, she sees little evidence for this being true. 'Kris Jenner is not even my client,' she said later. 'And when she came out about her face-lift, my inbox blew up. We got over 700 inquiries that day.' Kitty Bennett contributed research.
Yahoo
3 days ago
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3 infants died in New York of congenital syphilis. Here's what you need to know
The New York State Department of Health (NYDOH) is warning about the risks of congenital syphilis after three infant deaths related to the disease have been reported in the state so far this year. The deaths occurred outside of New York City and are part of "a concerning rise" in congenital syphilis cases in the state and across the nation, according to the NYDOH. Cases of congenital syphilis have been rising nationwide in recent years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2023, there were more than 3,800 cases reported, a 106% increase from 2019 and the highest annual case count on record since 1994. MORE: Newborn syphilis cases at 'dire' levels as analysis shows tenfold increase in last decade: CDC Public health experts told ABC News that congenital syphilis is largely preventable and, when left untreated, it can be dangerous, or even deadly. "What's so devastating is that [congenital syphilis] is very preventable," Dr. Elizabeth Partridge, associate clinical professor of pediatric infectious disease at UC Davis Children's Hospital, told ABC News. "It's an epidemic of congenital syphilis and infections in women of childbearing age." What is congenital syphilis? Syphilis is a common sexually transmitted infection (STI). It starts as a painless sore where the infection entered the body. This infection is easily treated with an antibiotic when caught early. If left untreated, it often progresses, over weeks or months, to a worsening rash that may be accompanied by symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, headache and fatigue, according to the CDC. Symptoms can resolve on their own over time but without treatment, syphilis enters a "latent stage," or asymptomatic stage, that can last for years and may progress further to a "tertiary stage" that can impact multiple organs in the body. Congenital syphilis occurs when a pregnant person with untreated syphilis passes the infection to their baby either during pregnancy or at birth. It can be treated with antibiotics and it's best to treat as soon as possible to prevent more severe complications of the disease. The CDC recommends that all pregnant people get tested for syphilis at their first health care visit after learning they are pregnant. Some places with higher rates of this infection may recommend additional screening throughout pregnancy and at birth. Partridge said women of childbearing age who have barriers to prenatal care are at greater risk because they may miss out on syphilis screening. "I see a lot of times that moms don't get those full screenings done, they don't have access to that kind of prenatal care. And that, to me, is just tragic because if moms can get screened, then they can get treated," Partridge said. Why can it be so dangerous? Congenital syphilis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, prematurity or infant death soon after birth, according to the CDC. Babies born with this disease can have deformed bones, low blood counts, jaundice and organ dysfunction, including problems with the brain and nervous system or enlarged liver and spleen. Partridge says common symptoms of congenital syphilis are known but many aren't obvious at birth. MORE: Mississippi sees 10-fold increase in babies born with syphilis since 2016: Report "I think up to 70% of babies who may meet the case definition for congenital syphilis are actually asymptomatic, which makes diagnosing it quite challenging," Partridge said. Without treatment, babies who are asymptomatic at birth can begin to show signs of the disease weeks, months or years later. "If they're undetected, if the infants are left untreated, they go on to develop what we call later sequelae, and that's when you see deafness, blindness, developmental delay, the quite devastating illness," Partridge said. Why is congenital syphilis on the rise? Dr. James McDonald, commissioner of the NYDOH, told ABC News that the three newborn deaths from syphilis are concerning because it's uncommon to see infant deaths from the condition. McDonald said that New York State has seen 21 cases of congenital syphilis so far this year, compared to 36 cases all of last year. "Keep in mind, these may sound like big numbers, but for upstate New York, they are big numbers," he said. "What concerns me, though, is it should be zero." Kristin Wall, an associate professor of epidemiology at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, told ABC News the U.S. has seen a steady rise in congenital syphilis cases over the last 10 years. This is despite decreases in cases of chlamydia and gonorrhea, according to CDC data. She said that there are racial/ethnic disparities when it comes to the populations experiencing the highest rates of congenital syphilis. "So the highest rates we're seeing are in Native Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Hispanic populations and Black populations," Wall said. "And I think it's really important to think about access to care barriers as one of the big reasons that we're seeing these increasing rates in certain populations." Barriers can include lack of insurance or lack of transportation as well as mistrust of the medical system due to past prejudices, according to Wall. How to drive down rates of congenital syphilis Wall said half of cases are occurring among patients who are receiving prenatal care, but are missing timely and appropriate treatment, and the other half are occurring in people who are not engaged in care at all. For those who are receiving prenatal care, Wall said there is a push to implement point-of-care testing, meaning testing outside of a traditional clinical laboratory, often at the patient's bedside. Delays in waiting for laboratory test results to come back and then trying to recontact the patient can lead to delays in delivering a diagnosis or administering care, Wall said. MORE: FDA authorizes 1st over-the-counter, at-home test for syphilis "A very exciting development to address that is the point of care syphilis testing, where you have a patient right in front of you, you're able to administer that test, get test results in 20, 30 minutes, and administer directly observed treatment right there, without sending, you know, your patient away," she said. For the patients who are not receiving care, Wall said it's important to work with community partners to enter underserved communities and spread awareness, as well as make sure men and women are getting tested to prevent cases from occurring in the first place. McDonald said that as part of an effort to eliminate syphilis from pregnancy, New York State requires three syphilis screenings for pregnant people. "When someone's pregnant, they're supposed to be checked for syphilis three times, one when they have their first visit, the second time around the third trimester, and then the third time is where they give birth," he said. "Part of our message to health care providers is: ensure people are being screened appropriately." He also encouraged people to practice safe sex to prevent the spread of STIs, including the use of condoms. Jade A. Cobern, MD, MPH, is board-certified in pediatrics and general preventive medicine, and is a medical fellow of the ABC News Medical Unit.
