A former equipment rental employee is suing her ex-employer, alleging she was wrongfully terminated from her job as an office administrator in 2023 after getting into a serious auto accident and requesting work accommodations.
Natalie Coe’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against Paramount-based Coleman Equipment Rentals LLC alleges disability discrimination, retaliation and failure to accommodate and engage in the interactive process. She seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A Coleman representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Coe was hired at the Vermont Avenue company in October 2022 and last May was in a traffic accident that left her with multiple fractured ribs, a broken hand, injuries to her neck and back and an injured knee. After surgery, her doctor placed her on medical leave and the plaintiff subsequently held a virtual meeting with her general manager, providing her information about her injuries and work restrictions, the suits states.
Coe began working from home and told management about her upcoming surgery for Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome, which prompted a reassuring reply that the plaintiff could resume her job when she was healthy along with a “get better” message, the suit states.
In August, Coe emailed her supervisors her documentary file from the state Employment Development Dept., but heard nothing back, according to the suit, which also states that the plaintiff sought a meeting with her general manager that also did not result in a response.
In September, the general manager allegedly told Coe that there was no more work for her at Coleman and that she was terminated. The next month, Cole told the general manager that her work restrictions were lifted and reminded the supervisor of her promise to allow the plaintiff to resume her employment, but the supervisor told Coe in October that there was still no job for her, the suit states.
Coe asked for and was told she would receive a termination letter, but the plaintiff still has not gotten one, according to the suit, which further states that the plaintiff has suffered emotional distress and substantial earnings losses since being terminated.
Coe believes she lost her job because of her medical condition and requests for accommodations for her disability, the suit states.