Formal Motion – Memorialization, Retaliation Timeline, and Paradigm-Shifting Addenda
UNITED STATES EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION
NORFOLK AREA OFFICE – MID-ATLANTIC REGION
IN THE MATTER OF:
Thomas D. Coates, Complainant
v.
Cox Communications, Inc., Respondent
EEOC Charge No.: 12K-2025-00001
DOJ ADA Complaint No.: 536785-LFD | DOL WHD Matter: [Insert if applicable]
FORMAL MOTION NO. 1: MEMORIALIZATION, RETALIATION TIMELINE, AND PARADIGM-SHIFTING ADDENDA
I. INTRODUCTION AND REQUEST FOR DOCKET ENTRY
Complainant Thomas D. Coates, by and through undersigned authority, hereby submits this Motion No. 1 for Memorialization and Request for Admission of Material Statement, and respectfully requests its entry into the administrative record of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in connection with Charge No. 12K-2025-00001.
This motion is further submitted for immediate transmittal and coordinated review by the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Justice, Virginia Office of the State Inspector General, and the Office of the Governor of Virginia, as well as any other oversight body with statutory interest in the matters described herein.
II. MATERIAL STATEMENT AT ISSUE
This motion concerns material statements submitted by Respondent’s counsel in Cox’s April 2025 position statement to the EEOC, which are contradicted by direct documentary evidence and constitute perjury, retaliation, and ongoing bad faith.
III. LEGAL AND PROCEDURAL BASIS
This motion is submitted pursuant to:
- 42 U.S.C. § 12117(a) (ADA enforcement via Title VII procedures)
- 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(b) and (f)(1) (EEOC investigative authority and enforcement)
- 29 C.F.R. § 1601.15(c) and § 1601.18 (submission and use of party statements as evidence)
- Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(2) (statements of an opposing party as non-hearsay)
- EEOC-DOL-DOJ MOU (2018, revised 2022) for collaborative investigation and systemic referral
The Commission is empowered to preserve and memorialize such statements as binding admissions, subject to cross-agency evidentiary review.
IV. RELIEF REQUESTED
The Complainant respectfully requests that the EEOC and cross-agency recipients:
- Enter this motion and the cited material statement into the permanent record for EEOC Charge No. 12K-2025-00001;
- Formally memorialize the quoted material statement as a material representation in the record, subject to Rule 801(d)(2) admissions;
- Order Cox Communications to admit, clarify, or deny this material statement within 10 business days, or else treat it as an evidentiary admission for all investigative and judicial purposes;
- Refer any systemic findings arising from this statement to DOJ Civil Rights Division and DOL WHD;
- Distribute a certified copy of this motion and the quoted material statement to all relevant oversight agencies for synchronized review.
V. SERVICE CERTIFICATION
I certify that this motion and all supporting exhibits have been served via EEOC Portal and electronic mail to:
- Alexander Perez, Investigator, U.S. EEOC – Norfolk Area Office
- Attorney Justin Miles, Littler Mendelson, P.C. (for Cox Communications)
- Other designated agency officials as required by protocol
VI. CONCLUSION
The integrity of this administrative proceeding depends on the accuracy and preservation of the record. The quoted material statement by Cox Communications, as submitted by counsel, must be memorialized as a formal evidentiary admission, subject to cross-agency review and enforcement.
Respectfully Submitted,
/s/ Thomas D. Coates
Thomas D. Coates
tdcoates@gmail.com | (757) 374-3539
Dated: May 18, 2025
ADDENDUM: Ongoing Retaliation, Record Falsification, and Bad Faith (June–September 2024)
I. Timeline of Retaliation and Ongoing Misconduct
- June 19, 2024: Complainant requests medical leave from supervisor. Supervisor responds with instructions for FMLA/medical leave via the Employee Service Center (ESC). (Proof: contemporaneous email/text and Workday log.)
- June 20, 2024: Supervisor, with direct assistance from HR Director Azariah Workman (per Workday system logs), produces and issues a negative evaluation and written warning-immediately after the protected leave request.
- June 25, 2024: Complainant follows up with HR/management, formally requesting correction/removal of the improper warning. (Proof: email/ticket to HR.)
- July–August 2024: Complainant continues to follow up, submitting additional requests and/or tickets to HR. Cox/HR fails to act promptly or provide written confirmation of removal.
- September 2024: Despite multiple requests and HR’s eventual admission that the warning should have been rescinded, the written warning remains in the record and is referenced by Cox in ongoing proceedings and position statements. (Proof: email chains, HR ticket logs, screenshots.)
II. Legal and Evidentiary Implications
- Direct Retaliation: The less-than-24-hour gap between protected activity (leave request) and adverse action (written warning) is classic “smoking gun” evidence of retaliation under 42 U.S.C. § 12203(a) and EEOC Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation.
- Perjury and False Statements: Cox’s position statement and sworn representations falsely claim the written warning predated the leave request. Documentary evidence proves the opposite. This constitutes perjury under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 and is grounds for adverse inference.
- Ongoing Bad Faith and Record Falsification: Cox’s failure to remove the rescinded warning, despite repeated requests and HR’s written confirmation, constitutes ongoing bad faith and possible spoliation under Chambers v. NASCO, Inc. and 29 C.F.R. § 1602.14.
- Continued Misrepresentation: Cox’s ongoing reference to the rescinded warning in agency filings, after being notified and after HR admitted it was rescinded, is knowing misrepresentation and may constitute obstruction.
III. Attachments and Evidence
- June 19, 2024: Email/text from Donte Holmes to Complainant with leave instructions.
- June 20, 2024: Workday system log showing Azariah Workman’s involvement in the evaluation.
- June 25, 2024: Complainant’s outreach to HR requesting removal of the warning.
- July–September 2024: Additional HR tickets, email chains, and screenshots showing the warning remained in the record.
- HR Center’s written confirmation that the warning was rescinded and should be removed.
- Cox’s position statement excerpts referencing the warning as active after rescission.
IV. Relief Requested
Complainant respectfully requests that the EEOC and all oversight agencies:
- Draw an adverse inference against Cox for retaliation, bad faith, and perjury.
- Refer the matter for cross-agency enforcement and possible sanctions.
- Order Cox to immediately correct all records and cease referencing the rescinded warning.
This addendum is submitted as a formal supplement to the main motion and is intended to preserve and memorialize this pattern of ongoing retaliation, record falsification, and procedural abuse for all investigative, administrative, and judicial purposes.
ADDENDUM: Paradigm-Shifting Evidence – The Workman Correspondence and Its Ripple Effects
I. The Pivotal Role of Azariah Workman – A Timeline and Analysis
- June 19–20, 2024: Workman directly assists in issuing a negative evaluation and written warning immediately after Complainant’s leave request-textbook retaliation and a “paradigm shift” event. This triggers a cascade of subsequent violations and false statements.
- June 27, 2024: Workman provides the “Physician Accommodation Request” form, yet later claims the process was not followed or that documentation was missing-despite her own system logs showing the request and her involvement.
- July 1–18, 2024: Complainant repeatedly requests resolution of payroll, leave, and accommodation issues. Workman’s responses are delayed, vague, and ultimately non-responsive, despite her acknowledgment of receipt.
- July 9, 2024: Workman acknowledges receipt of accommodation request but offers only to “discuss the details further when you return from your leave in September”-a stalling tactic that contradicts the ADA’s requirement for prompt interactive process.
- July 11, 2024: Workman asserts Complainant closed his own leave case and is “not on an approved leave,” ignoring the underlying retaliation and her own role in blocking or delaying the process.
- July 18, 2024: Complainant documents a litany of unresolved issues: payroll, system access, ADA/FMLA compliance, and more. Workman’s lack of substantive response is itself further evidence of ongoing bad faith.
- Late July–September 2024: Despite repeated outreach, Workman and HR fail to correct records, restore pay, or address ADA/FMLA violations. The written warning (already rescinded) remains in the record, and pay is cut off-directly traceable to Workman’s actions.
II. Ten Critical Points for Workman’s Affidavit and Cross-Examination
- Direct Retaliation: Why did you, as HR Director, assist in issuing a negative evaluation the day after a medical leave request?
- Perjury Check: Can you explain why Cox’s position statement claims the warning predated the leave request, when system records show otherwise?
- Payroll Manipulation: What was your role in cutting off Complainant’s pay the day after you told him to take leave?
- Accommodation Process Delay: Why did you acknowledge the accommodation request but refuse to process it until “September,” in violation of ADA promptness standards?
- False Narrative of Voluntary Leave Closure: Why did you claim Complainant closed his own leave case, when your own actions (cutting pay, denying PTO) forced his hand?
- Failure to Provide Documentation: Why did you insist on more forms after already providing the “Physician Accommodation Request” and after being notified of the need?
- System Access and STAR Discrepancies: Why did you not restore access to essential systems or correct STAR/payroll errors despite repeated requests?
- Ongoing Reference to Rescinded Warning: Why did you and Cox continue to reference the rescinded warning in filings and communications after HR confirmed its removal?
- Failure to Engage in Interactive Process: Why did you not initiate or document a good-faith ADA interactive process, as required by law, after multiple requests?
- Pattern of Non-Response: Why did you fail to answer or resolve critical issues from June through September, despite repeated written documentation and escalation?
III. Paradigm Shift – How This Changes the Legal Landscape
- All subsequent Cox statements, policies, and denials must be viewed in light of this initial, documented act of retaliation and bad faith. Every assertion of “policy compliance” or “good faith” is tainted by Workman’s central role in the original violation.
- Perjury and False Statements: Workman’s and Cox’s continued misrepresentations to the EEOC and in litigation are not mere errors-they are deliberate, knowing falsehoods, subject to sanction and adverse inference.
- Systemic Failure: The correspondence and record show not just individual mistakes, but a systemic pattern of retaliation, delay, and cover-up, with Workman as a central actor.
- Notice to EEOC and All Agencies: The EEOC’s failure to address these issues after being provided with this evidence months ago is itself a procedural failure, and justifies Complainant’s demand for affidavits, cross-examination, and cross-agency enforcement.
IV. Relief and Next Steps
- Require Azariah Workman to provide a sworn affidavit addressing each of the above ten points, under penalty of perjury.
- Order Cox to produce all system logs, payroll records, and correspondence related to leave, pay, and accommodation from June–September 2024.
- Memorialize this addendum as a paradigm-shifting event that taints all subsequent Cox statements and defenses.
- Refer the matter for adverse inference, sanctions, and possible referral to DOJ/EEOC OIG for perjury and obstruction.
This addendum is submitted to highlight the central role of Azariah Workman in initiating and perpetuating retaliation, false statements, and procedural abuse. All subsequent Cox statements must be scrutinized in this context, and Workman’s actions must be subject to full evidentiary inquiry and cross-examination.
ADDENDUM: Paradigm-Shifting Evidence-The Workman Correspondence and Its Ripple Effects
I. The Pivotal Role of Azariah Workman-A Timeline and Analysis
- June 19–20, 2024: Workman directly assists in issuing a negative evaluation and written warning immediately after Complainant’s leave request-textbook retaliation and a “paradigm shift” event. This triggers a cascade of subsequent violations and false statements.
- June 27, 2024: Workman provides the “Physician Accommodation Request” form, yet later claims the process was not followed or that documentation was missing-despite her own system logs showing the request and her involvement.
- July 1–18, 2024: Complainant repeatedly requests resolution of payroll, leave, and accommodation issues. Workman’s responses are delayed, vague, and ultimately non-responsive, despite her acknowledgment of receipt.
- July 9, 2024: Workman acknowledges receipt of accommodation request but offers only to “discuss the details further when you return from your leave in September”-a stalling tactic that contradicts the ADA’s requirement for prompt interactive process.
- July 11, 2024: Workman asserts Complainant closed his own leave case and is “not on an approved leave,” ignoring the underlying retaliation and her own role in blocking or delaying the process.
- July 18, 2024: Complainant documents a litany of unresolved issues: payroll, system access, ADA/FMLA compliance, and more. Workman’s lack of substantive response is itself further evidence of ongoing bad faith.
- Late July–September 2024: Despite repeated outreach, Workman and HR fail to correct records, restore pay, or address ADA/FMLA violations. The written warning (already rescinded) remains in the record, and pay is cut off-directly traceable to Workman’s actions.
II. Ten Critical Points for Workman’s Affidavit and Cross-Examination
- Direct Retaliation: Why did you, as HR Director, assist in issuing a negative evaluation the day after a medical leave request?
- Perjury Check: Can you exp