Managing a health condition is hard enough without your job hanging in the balance. If your employer has denied your accommodation request, punished you for taking medical leave, or pushed you out because of a disability or serious illness, you are not overreacting, and you are not alone. California gives workers with disabilities some of the strongest legal protections in the country, and those protections mean something only when someone enforces them.
Labor Law PC is a disability rights lawyer team in Los Angeles that represents employees only, never employers. From our Santa Monica office we handle disability discrimination, failure-to-accommodate, and medical leave cases for workers across Los Angeles County, from hospital staff in Long Beach to studio employees in Burbank and warehouse workers near the ports. We work on contingency, which means no fees until we win, and every consultation is free and confidential.
This page explains your core rights in plain English: what counts as a disability under California law, what accommodations your employer owes you, and how job-protected medical and family leave works. For deeper answers, see our dedicated pages on reasonable accommodations in California and FMLA and CFRA medical leave.
Every situation below has its own detailed guide, the warning signs, the California law behind your claim, and what you may be able to recover.
Employers rarely announce that they are breaking the law. More often, the violation hides inside "business decisions" that only make sense once you connect them to your health condition or your leave request. Warning signs include:
If any of this sounds familiar, keep your documents (emails, doctor's notes, write-ups, leave paperwork) and talk to a lawyer before signing anything your employer puts in front of you.
California workers are protected by overlapping federal and state laws, and the state law is almost always stronger. That difference is often what makes or breaks a case.
The Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA, Government Code section 12940 and following) prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on an actual or perceived physical disability, mental disability, or serious medical condition. FEHA covers employers with as few as 5 employees, while the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) starts at 15. FEHA also defines disability more generously: a condition only needs to limit a major life activity, not "substantially limit" it as federal law requires, and FEHA damages are not capped the way federal damages are.
Protected conditions include chronic illnesses, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, mobility and sensory impairments, migraines, and mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. FEHA also protects you if your employer merely perceives you as disabled, or discriminates against you because of a family member's condition.
Covered California employers must provide reasonable accommodations that let a qualified employee perform the essential functions of the job, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. Just as important, the employer must engage in a timely, good-faith interactive process to figure out what accommodation could work. Failing to have that conversation is an independent violation of FEHA, separate from the failure to accommodate itself. Our page on reasonable accommodations in California walks through examples, the process, and what to do when a request is denied.
California employees may be entitled to several kinds of leave, each with its own rules:
Many Los Angeles workers assume that a work injury means workers' compensation is their only remedy. It is not. Workers' comp covers medical care and partial wage replacement for the injury itself, but it does not excuse your employer from FEHA's separate duties to accommodate you, engage in the interactive process, and refrain from discrimination once you have restrictions. An employer that fires an injured worker instead of accommodating light-duty restrictions may owe damages under FEHA on top of the comp claim, and punishing you for filing a comp claim is illegal retaliation under Labor Code section 132a. See our page on workers' comp retaliation if your claim triggered the mistreatment.
The same layering matters for serious illnesses. A cancer diagnosis, for example, can involve accommodation rights, protected leave, and discrimination protections all at once, and employers frequently honor one duty while violating another. We evaluate the whole picture, not just the loudest claim.
Most FEHA claims must start with a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD, formerly the DFEH), generally within 3 years of the violation, followed by a lawsuit within 1 year of receiving a right-to-sue notice. Other claims, including FMLA claims, run on different and sometimes shorter clocks. Deadlines vary by claim and by facts, so the safest move is to talk to a lawyer promptly.
Every case is different and no outcome is ever guaranteed, but California law allows workers in disability and leave cases to seek:
Labor Law PC handles disability and leave cases on contingency. Your consultation is free, there are no upfront costs, and we only get paid if we recover money for you. Serious illness already strains most families' finances; asserting your rights should not add to that burden.
Not because you took leave. CFRA, FMLA, and PDL leave are job-protected, and firing you for using them is unlawful retaliation. An employer can still make genuine, unrelated decisions (such as a legitimate layoff), but the timing invites scrutiny. If you were let go during or right after leave, have a lawyer review it.
Probably more likely than you think. FEHA covers any physical or mental condition that limits a major life activity, including chronic pain, migraines, anxiety, and depression. It also covers perceived disabilities. A free consultation can answer this for your specific situation.
Generally no. You need to disclose enough for the employer to understand you have a covered condition and need an accommodation or leave, usually through a doctor's note describing your limitations. Employers cannot demand your complete medical history.
Generally you have 3 years to file a FEHA complaint with the CRD, then 1 year to sue after receiving a right-to-sue notice. Other claims have different deadlines, and exceptions cut both ways, so talk to a lawyer as early as you can.
Only if the employer can actually prove undue hardship, which means significant difficulty or expense measured against its size and resources. For most Los Angeles employers, a schedule change or equipment purchase does not come close. Cost excuses are one of the most common and most beatable defenses.
From our Santa Monica headquarters, Labor Law PC represents workers throughout Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank, Torrance, Long Beach, and the San Fernando Valley, and employees statewide across California.
If your employer denied your accommodation, interfered with your leave, or pushed you out because of your health, find out where you stand before the deadlines run. Call (877) 775-2267 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation. No fees until we win.
Every case gets a team that listens, keeps you informed, and fights like it matters. Because to you, it does.
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