Verma v Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd
Citation: [2026] FCA 679
At a glance
- Employees affected
- 1
What happened
the Applicant, a casual trolley collector for Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, was terminated on February 9, 2024. He alleges his termination and prior treatment were unlawful under various discrimination and workplace laws, stemming from an incident where he became unwell at work and a subsequent verbal altercation with a co-worker, Zachary Cooper, who allegedly made racist remarks. the Applicant claims Cooper photographed him while unwell and reported it to management. Coles is seeking summary judgment against the Applicant’s claims.
What was decided
The Federal Court of Australia granted Coles' application for summary judgment, dismissing certain claims brought by the Applicant. The court found that the Applicant had no reasonable prospect of successfully prosecuting specific claims related to his termination and alleged discrimination. Paragraphs 59-62 of the Applicant's amended statement of claim were struck out. Costs were reserved.
What it means for employers
Employers should ensure clear procedures for managing employee illness and reporting incidents at work. Promptly addressing allegations of discriminatory behavior among employees is crucial to mitigate legal risk. Maintaining accurate records of disciplinary actions, like the Second Respondent’s termination, can be relevant in defending claims.
What it means for employees
Employees experiencing discrimination or unfair treatment should document all incidents and follow established complaint procedures. Understanding the time limits for lodging complaints with bodies like the Fair Work Commission is essential.
Want this applied to your situation?
Reading the decision is free. FairWork Mate goes further — it reads the full case library and applies precedents like this one to your specific facts, citing the cases as it reasons. General information, not a guaranteed outcome or legal advice.
Every statement above is drawn from the published decision. Read the original here:
https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2026/2026fca0679Want more cases like this?
FairWork Mate tracks Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission and Federal Court decisions across Australia. The AI advisor answers plain-English questions grounded on the full corpus — awards cited, industry, penalty amounts and affected employee counts — with a citation to the underlying decision on every answer.
Individual case summaries on this site are free. Full-corpus advisor access is a paid product — Business Solo from $99/mo, 50% off your first 3 months for the first 100 signups.
Get notified on new Fair Work cases
Free email alerts when we publish new underpayment decisions, penalty orders, and workplace law updates.
Free forever. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
This summary was drafted from the published decision and reviewed before publishing. It is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94) or a qualified lawyer. About these summaries & corrections →