Lawyers told her she had no case after being fired over endometriosis — so she learned the law and took them to court herself

Christian Worley (u/cw9241), a woman from North Carolina, lost her job after she disclosed her endometriosis diagnosis at the office. Her life took a 360° turn when her ex-husband dumped her because of financial stress, and before she knew it, she found herself on the streets, homeless. However, despite challenges, Worley refused to give up; in fact, almost all lawyers she approached told her she had no case after being fired, but she grabbed the opportunity to learn the law and dragged her former company to court. Worley posted her story on Reddit on December 23.

In 2022, Worley, an ex-juvenile justice counselor for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, said she was fired due to discrimination related to her diagnosis, and the aftermath almost entirely ruined her life. Worley lost her house, too, and remained homeless for 3 months. In June 2023, she finally filed a lawsuit and decided to present herself in court without a lawyer after any legal professionals refused to take her case. "I wrote every brief. I deposed every witness. I argued alone in federal court. None of it was easy, but all of it was necessary," she explained in her post.

In her arguments, Worley told the court that she had requested permission to work from home for one or two days a month because of extremely painful endometriosis symptoms. However, in response, her manager questioned her work ethic while also informing a higher-up. The other supervisor was more worried about other female employees making such vague requests if he allowed Worley to work remotely during her periods. Worley was also threatened with being fired at the end of her two-year probationary stint. Surprisingly, she resigned the same day, filed an administrative complaint about discrimination, and later sued in federal court, according to WRAL News.

Her case is especially groundbreaking because the judge ruled her symptoms of endometriosis could qualify as a disability under the ADA(Americans with Disabilities Act), even though endometriosis itself is not listed as a disability. "As of yesterday, it was resolved for a substantial settlement, but more importantly, for institutional reform," Worley wrote. 

Sadly, Worley's case isn't something unusual; in fact, more women worldwide than we imagine often face negative emotions at work because of endometriosis. A small survey of women with endometriosis by Western Sydney University’s NICM Health Research Institute and Southern Cross University’s National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine found that 31% of them have been overlooked for a promotion because of the condition. Moreover, the study also revealed that 1 in 6 (15%) women have been fired due to their endometriosis symptoms. "Nearly all women with endometriosis in our study said their endometriosis had a significant impact on their work life, with nearly two-thirds of women having to take unpaid time off work to manage their endometriosis symptoms," Professor Jon Wardle of Southern Cross University explained. 

Netizens, particularly the women who have experienced endometriosis themselves, praised Worley for not giving up and dragging her ex-employers to court over discrimination; for instance, u/delulujams commented, "Congrats! Endometriosis is such a painful and life-altering diagnosis. It will help people who suffer from it and lay the groundwork for their own cases. Best of luck in law school!"

Similarly, u/local-cryptid0524 wrote, "I'm crying such happy tears for you right now. I have chills. You have no idea the boost this gives me. Thank you so much for fighting so hard, not just for yourself, but for all the women who are so dismissed in medicine." u/karma_weaponry shared, "I suffered severely with endometriosis. It consumed my life; I lost one job for missing too much work. The pain is so debilitating. I hope this helps other women. Well done! Your dedication paid off. Good luck with law school."

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