French Employment law - Contagious grounds – Dismissal of an employee for failing to inform her employer of her pregnancy = void dismissal (cass soc June 3rd, 26, 24-22.719)

An appeals court violates paragraph 3 of the preamble to the Constitution of October 27th, 1946, and Articles L1225-2, L1225-4, L1132-1, and L1132-4 of the French Labor Code when, in dismissing the employee's claim for annulment of her dismissal, it holds that by failing to inform her employer of her pregnancy, the employee exposed herself to a risk to her health that could entail the civil, or even criminal, liability of her employer and did not faithfully perform her employment contract.

This is what the Court of Cassation affirmed in a ruling dated June 3rd, 2026, 24-22.719, published in the Bulletin.

An employee working in contact with products hazardous to her health and that of her fetus does not commit a disciplinary offense by knowingly failing to inform her employer of her pregnancy.

The employer must avoid any mention of the pregnancy in the dismissal letter, otherwise the dismissal will be deemed null and void.

This constitutes a "contagious ground" for dismissal null and void, meaning that other grounds for dismissal are not considered by the judge, because it contains grounds for discrimination, harassment, or a violation of a fundamental freedom.

To read the full article, click on the link below.

https://www.village-justice.com/articles/motif-contaminant-licenciement-une-salariee-pour-avoir-omis-informer-son,57825.html

Sources:

• Cour d’appel de Dijon, 24 octobre 2024, RG n°22/00693
• Cass. Soc. 3 juin 2026, n°24-22.719
• Article L.1225-4 du Code du travail
• Alinéa 3 de la Constitution du 27 octobre 1946
• Cass. Soc 25 mars 2026, n°24-14.788
• Article L. 1225-2 du Code du travail
• Article L.1132-1 du Code du travail
• Article L.1132-4 du Code du travail
• Article L.1232-6 du Code du travail
• Licenciement d’une salariée en état de grossesse : la Cour de cassation impose une double réparation
• Motif contaminant : nullité du licenciement prononcé pour un motif lié à l’exercice par le salarié de sa liberté d’expression
• Maternité et résiliation judiciaire : comment cela s’articule avec les règles liées à la salariée enceinte ?

Frédéric CHHUM avocat et ancien membre du conseil de l’ordre des avocats de Paris (mandat 2019-2021)

CHHUM AVOCATS (Paris, Nantes, Lille)

e-mail: chhum@chhum-avocats.com

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