Louisiana is a hard at-will state — your boss can fire you for almost any reason, and there's no state minimum-wage or overtime law to lean on. But that does not mean you have no rights. A late final paycheck can cost an employer up to 90 days of your wages. Discrimination, unpaid overtime, and retaliation all have deadlines — Louisiana calls it 'prescription' — and some are as short as 300 days or one year. Call 1-844-690-0555 now, free and 24/7, and get information grounded in Louisiana law before a clock quietly runs out. It's legal information, not legal advice.
Free legal information. Not legal advice. Available 24/7 across Louisiana.
If this is about a paycheck the employer didn't pay after you were fired or quit, your single most powerful first move is a written demand. Under La. R.S. 23:631 the employer had to pay everything owed by the next regular payday or within 15 days of separation, whichever came first. Send a short dated letter or email demanding your final wages and keep a copy — three days after that written demand, if they still haven't paid, La. R.S. 23:632 opens the door to a penalty of up to 90 days' wages plus attorney's fees. If it's discrimination or retaliation instead, do not wait: the EEOC's 300-day charge clock and the one-year state prescriptive period start the day it happened. Call 1-844-690-0555 first and we'll walk you through exactly which letter, agency, or deadline applies to your facts.
Every other state calls it a 'statute of limitations.' Louisiana, with its civil-law Codes, calls the deadline 'prescription' — and the windows here are unforgiving. An EEOC charge prescribes at 300 days; a state discrimination suit at one year; a whistleblower claim at one year. Worse, Louisiana bolts on a mandatory 30-day written notice to your employer before you can even file a discrimination suit — and that notice does not, on its own, stop prescription from running. People lose airtight cases not because they were wrong, but because they waited, sent the wrong letter, or never knew the clock existed. The day you're fired or denied, the count starts. Call 1-844-690-0555 now and find out which clock is ticking on your facts — free, 24/7, legal information, not advice.
If you can't afford a lawyer, Louisiana has real free and low-cost help for workers — discrimination, wage, and pregnancy claims included. Start with us for instant information any hour, then use these verified resources. All give legal information or aid, not a guarantee of representation.
Can I be fired for no reason at all in Louisiana?
Usually, yes. Under Louisiana Civil Code article 2747, if you have no fixed-term contract you're 'at-will' and can be let go for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason — Louisiana has no broad public-policy wrongful-discharge tort. But there are hard limits: you can't be fired because of your race, sex, age, disability, religion, pregnancy, protected hairstyle, military status, or for whistleblowing on an actual legal violation. Whether your firing crossed one of those lines is exactly what the hotline can sort out. Call 1-844-690-0555 free, 24/7 — it's legal information, not advice.
My employer didn't pay my last paycheck. What can I do?
Louisiana is tough on this. Under La. R.S. 23:631, after you're fired or quit, your employer must pay everything owed by the next regular payday or within 15 days, whichever comes first. Send a dated written demand and keep a copy — three days later, if you're still unpaid, La. R.S. 23:632 allows a penalty of up to 90 days of your wages plus attorney's fees on top of the wages themselves. Call 1-844-690-0555 and we'll tell you exactly what your demand letter should say. Legal information, not advice.
Does Louisiana have its own minimum wage or overtime law?
No. Louisiana has no state minimum wage and no state overtime law, and La. R.S. 23:642 actually forbids cities and parishes from setting their own minimum. That means the federal Fair Labor Standards Act controls — $7.25 an hour, $2.13 for tipped workers, and time-and-a-half over 40 hours a week. Unpaid-overtime complaints go to the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, not a state board. Call 1-844-690-0555 to find out if you're owed back wages. It's free legal information, not advice.
How long do I have to sue my employer for discrimination in Louisiana?
Less time than you'd think. To file an EEOC charge you have 300 days from the act; the state LCHR window is just 180 days. A Louisiana Employment Discrimination Law suit prescribes in one year — though that one year is suspended while the EEOC or LCHR investigates, for up to six months — and you must give the employer 30 days' written notice before filing. If the EEOC issues a right-to-sue letter, you then have only 90 days to file in court. These overlap and trip people up. Call 1-844-690-0555 now and we'll map your exact deadlines. Legal information, not advice.
I was fired after reporting something illegal at work. Am I protected?
Maybe — Louisiana's whistleblower statute, La. R.S. 23:967, protects you if you reported a workplace practice that actually violated state law. The catch is severe: courts require you to prove a real violation occurred, not just that you reasonably believed it did. (The environmental whistleblower law, La. R.S. 30:2027, is more forgiving.) The claim prescribes in one year. Because everything turns on whether an actual violation can be shown, get this checked early. Call 1-844-690-0555 free, 24/7 — legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created.
Can I be fired or denied accommodations because I'm pregnant in Louisiana?
Louisiana law (La. R.S. 23:341–342) requires employers with more than 25 employees to make reasonable accommodations for pregnancy and childbirth — more frequent breaks, lactation space, lifting limits, a temporary transfer — and to allow up to four months of pregnancy-disability leave, absent undue hardship. Federal law (the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and Title VII, enforced by the EEOC) adds protection, sometimes for smaller employers. Being fired or pushed out for being pregnant may be illegal discrimination. Call 1-844-690-0555 to learn which law covers your employer. It's legal information, not advice.
Was I discriminated against for my hairstyle?
Possibly. Since the CROWN Act amended La. R.S. 23:332 in 2022, Louisiana bans employment discrimination based on natural, protective, or cultural hairstyles — afros, locs, braids, twists, Bantu knots. If an employer with 20 or more employees fired you, refused to hire you, or disciplined you over a hairstyle tied to race or culture, that can be unlawful discrimination under the LEDL. The one-year prescription and 30-day notice rules apply. Call 1-844-690-0555 and describe what happened — free, 24/7. Legal information, not advice.
My employer says my unpaid wages are a 'good-faith dispute.' Does that defeat me?
Not necessarily, but it matters. Under La. R.S. 23:632, if the employer genuinely and reasonably disputes that it owes the wages, its liability can be capped at the disputed amount plus judicial interest from the date suit is filed, rather than the full up-to-90-days penalty. Whether a dispute is truly 'good faith' — or just an excuse for not paying — is a fact question courts examine closely. Don't take the label at face value. Call 1-844-690-0555 and we'll help you understand where you stand. It's legal information, not legal advice.
Does the Legal Hotline give legal advice or act as my lawyer?
No. Legal Hotline is not a law firm and not a public defender. The AI assistant gives you legal information grounded in Louisiana and federal employment law — what the statutes say, which agency handles your claim, what deadline you face — but not legal advice tailored to you as your attorney, and the call creates no attorney-client relationship. If you need actual representation, we can help you book a paid consultation with a Louisiana-licensed attorney. Call 1-844-690-0555 free, any hour, to get started.
I work for a small business in Louisiana — does the state discrimination law even cover me?
Maybe not, and that's a crucial gap. The Louisiana Employment Discrimination Law only reaches employers with 20 or more employees (more than 25 for the pregnancy-accommodation provisions) — higher than federal Title VII's 15-employee threshold. So if your employer is small, you may have no state remedy and have to rely on federal law and the EEOC instead. Knowing which law applies decides everything about your deadlines and where you file. Call 1-844-690-0555 and we'll figure out your employer's coverage. Legal information, not advice.
Are you a Louisiana-licensed attorney handling wage claims, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful-termination matters? We send workers your way after their free hotline call — people who already know their prescription deadline and their claim and are ready for a paid consultation. If you practice before the parish district courts, the EEOC's New Orleans office, or the LCHR, join our referral network. This is a separate path from the worker hotline above and never competes with it.
General legal information, not legal advice. We research every page from primary sources — legislation, the courts, and government legal-aid bodies — and check it for accuracy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at admin@platfirm.ai.
Whether it's a withheld final paycheck, a firing that smells like discrimination, unpaid overtime, or retaliation for speaking up, Louisiana's short prescription periods mean waiting can cost you the whole case. You don't need money, a web form, or business hours to find out where you stand. Call 1-844-690-0555 now — free, 24/7, in your language — and get clear legal information grounded in Louisiana and federal law. It's not legal advice and creates no attorney-client relationship, but it can tell you exactly what to do next, and whether to book a paid consultation with a Louisiana-licensed attorney.
Free legal information. Not legal advice.