Boss Threatens To Sue Me For Filing Workers Comp

Location: Rockville, MD, USA

Hey there legal advice!

I have found myself in a pickle, and need some serious advice. I (18m idk if that matters) dislocated my elbow at my job. For context, I manage a parkour gym, where I started as an instructor and worked my way up to manager. I had finished the tasks I needed to do to open and processed all my desk work when I decided to warm up before classes. I was warming up on basic vaults when I messed up and dislocated my elbow. My boss is threatening to sue me for filing workers comp because she thinks what I did is time theft.

My view: my roles at this gym is instructor, front desk, and manager. I run the backend, am the face of the business and teach classes constantly. We’ve never had paid training times to work on skills or teaching, so I’ve worked on my skills and teaching rarely when I’ve finished work and have time. I’ve been told many times that I need to be skilled enough to teach all levels of parkour, from beginner to advanced. When hired, the employee handbook says we will be “teaching, overseeing, and training in the gym.” When I got promoted to front desk and then manager, I never got any extra training book, rules, or contract outlining my new responsibilities or things that are no longer my responsibility. I never signed anything saying that I cannot train/practice in times like these either. As well, I feel that a part of teaching skills is knowing how to do them, so you understand the movement more and know personally how it’s hard or easy. Due to this, I feel that I am owed workers comp.

Boss’ view: She claims since I never brought the lack of paid training time up as a concern, it doesn’t count. As well, she said practicing isn’t a part of my responsibilities, and I was committing wage theft/time fraud for doing that. She also says my view point on knowing the skill to teach the skill is invalid, since gymnasts coach teach complex skills all the time without knowing how to do the skill. She was also fixated on me demonstrating skills, despite me not saying I was training to demonstrate, as well not demonstrating in my classes.

My boss says she will either sue me, or pay my medical bills if I drop it and admit to the whole company I was commuting fraud (which I don’t think I was). She says she’s done it before, and will do it again, gladly.

I think I’m in the right, but I need advice. I really don’t want to escalate this to court, lose, and have something on my record related to fraud at 18, would mess up my whole life.

Edit 1: my boss has denied me the worker’s comp insurance information after my hospital visit. I filed through the state and am awaiting a ruling, which is what she wants me to drop. As well, I quit after being denied the information, and am in the middle of my two weeks.