Rodney Coleman has filed a lawsuit against his former employer, a janitorial and facilities maintenance company, alleging discrimination based on disability. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on February 18, 2026, targeting E.B.M., Inc. as the defendant. This case highlights significant allegations of workplace discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA).
The plaintiff, Rodney Coleman, asserts that E.B.M., Inc. discriminated against him due to his medical conditions, which include congestive heart failure and leg edema. These conditions significantly limit his physical capabilities such as lifting and walking. Coleman claims that despite being able to perform essential job functions like sanitization and garbage disposal without issue, he faced discrimination when E.B.M., Inc. insisted he perform more physically demanding tasks that exceeded his medical limitations. When Coleman requested reasonable accommodations for his disability—specifically to be exempt from certain duties—his requests were allegedly denied by the company.
Coleman further accuses E.B.M., Inc. of failing to engage in an interactive process to determine appropriate accommodations after he provided medical documentation outlining his limitations. Instead of accommodating him, Coleman alleges that E.B.M., Inc. terminated his employment or alternatively forced him into an untenable position where he had no choice but to resign due to an offer of indefinite unpaid leave.
The lawsuit details how these actions violated both federal and state laws designed to protect individuals with disabilities from workplace discrimination and retaliation. Coleman’s legal representation argues that these violations resulted in significant financial hardship, emotional distress, and damage to Coleman’s career prospects.
In seeking redress from the court, Coleman is asking for compensatory damages for emotional distress and lost wages, punitive damages to deter similar future conduct by the defendant or others, as well as attorney fees and other related costs. He also seeks a declaration from the court affirming that E.B.M., Inc.’s actions were discriminatory under ADA guidelines.
The attorneys representing Rodney Coleman are Taxiarchis Hatzidimitriadis and Ricardo Alvarez from Consumer Law Partners, LLC based in Chicago, Illinois. The case has been assigned Case No. 1:26-cv-1787.
Source: 126cv01787_Rodney_Coleman_v_EBM_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Illinois.pdf