Santa Rosa’s former planning chief says a request for a temporary medical accommodation precipitated her abrupt termination last September.
Clare Hartman, in a claim notice first filed with the city in February and later amended in April, alleged she faced discrimination after asking for intermittent leave granted under state and federal law to deal with an illness.
She was fired — wrongfully, the claim stated — a week later.
Hartman suffered financial losses, emotional distress, damage to personal and professional reputation and undue hardship as a result of her dismissal, according to the claim, and she is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages and attorney fees.
Hartman’s attorney, David Hiller of San Rafael, said he filed a civil suit in Sonoma County Superior Court on Thursday after the city rejected the initial and amended claim. Hiller declined to provide a copy of the lawsuit and a copy was not immediately available at the clerk’s office or in online court records.
Hartman, a veteran City Hall employee, led the Santa Rosa Planning and Economic Development Department since February 2022 before being fired Sept. 18, 2023.