Legal Question in Discrimination Law in Michigan
fired while on child-rearing leave of absence
I was working for a casino and they forced me to take an unpaid leave of absence when my doctor requested a reduced work week. While I was on leave and had a c-section, they fired me four weeks after my c-section for failure to fill our FMLA papers. I was told that it was not a FMLA leave of absence, that it was child-rearing leave since nobody at the company had a year in yet, when they forced me into an LOA. When I was terminated, they did not offer me COBRA insurance. They hired me back under a last chance, and did not give me any back pay or benefits. I missed out on promotions during this time. What can I do, if anything, to receive the money and benefits that I feel I deserve? I was not the only pregnant female that they did this to, at the same time they fired about three or four other women.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: fired while on child-rearing leave of absence
This is an interesting one.
You need a lawyer. You're looking at a wage issue, a COBRA issue, a gender-based dicrimination issue, etc..
I don't see how they fired you on this one, it smells REALLY fishy. Ask yourself what your goals are back pay, punitive damages, etc. and then find a lawyer who can help you. I can give you more input and/or refer you to a firm in Southeast Michigan if need be.