ADA

A Florida firefighter-paramedic who was terminated after a cardiac related event in 2023, has filed suit alleging wrongful termination and disability discrimination. Michael Samuels filed suit today in US District Court for the Southern District of Florida against the Key Largo Volunteer Fire Department.

Read More »

An Albany fire captain who claims he wrongfully was denied a promotion to battalion chief following an off-duty incident, has lost his appeal to the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Captain Jeremy Clawson claims the City of Albany rescinded a civil service promotion he earned in 2019 on account of a disability and his race.

Read More »

A Cleveland firefighter who claimed to have been the victim of race and disability discrimination due to Cleveland’s facial hair policy, has lost his lawsuit to be allowed to have a short beard. Anthony Davis filed suit in 2023, claiming the city’s policy prohibiting facial hair at the SCBA interface was aimed at “thinning the ranks of Black/African American firefighters.”

Read More »

A Philadelphia battalion chief has filed suit against the city, IAFF Local 22, Local 22’s Health Plan, and Independent Blue Cross alleging gender discrimination by denying her “gender-affirming care and treatment.” The chief, identified in the complaint as Jane Doe, filed suit in US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Read More »

A Colorado fire lieutenant who was terminated for failing to comply with requirements associated with his return to duty following a DUI, has filed suit alleging disability discrimination and retaliation. Anthony Falbo filed suit in federal court naming the Poudre Fire Authority and the Poudre Valley Fire Protection District as defendants.

Read More »

The US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois handed down a split decision on a disability discrimination case filed by a paramedic candidate for the Chicago Fire Department. Donna Griffin filed suit after the Chicago Fire Department concluded she was “not medically fit” due to the medications she was taking for adjustment disorder and insomnia.

Read More »

A deputy chief in Georgia who was terminated in July, 2023, has filed suit claiming violations of the Family Medical Leave Act, disability discrimination, and retaliation. Deputy Chief Eric Phillips filed suit against Douglas County and the Douglas County Fire/EMS Department.

Read More »

A former Denver firefighter who claimed the department’s handling of his disability claim violated the Americans With Disabilities Act, and that his subsequent resignation constituted a constructive discharge, has lost his appeal to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. David Perez filed suit in 2021 claiming disability discrimination, race discrimination, national origin discrimination and retaliation under both federal and state law.

Read More »

A firefighter who was terminated by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management after reporting misconduct by members of a wildland corrections crew, has filed suit alleging retaliation, age discrimination, disability discrimination and wrongful termination. JD Ottman filed suit in federal court alleging both federal and state claims.

Read More »

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a retired Florida firefighter does not have standing to sue her former employer for disability discrimination because the discriminatory act occurred after her employment concluded. The suit was brought by former Sanford firefighter Karyn Stanley, who retired on a non-line of duty disability pension in 2018.

Read More »

A Topeka, Kansas fire captain has filed suit alleging race and disability discrimination; retaliation; and a violation of the Family Medical Leave Act. Captain Brently Dorsey claims he was passed over for numerous promotions, denied the opportunity for reassignment to positions for which he was eligible for and was ultimately forced to take an early retirement in 2022.

Read More »

A fire captain with a California fire department has filed suit claiming the refusal to allow him to return to full-duty following a non-work-related injury constitutes disability discrimination under state law. Joseph Basinski filed suit against the Valley Center Fire Protection District alleging two counts of discrimination.

Read More »

A probationary firefighter who was injured in each of three fire academies, and found to be medically unable to return to duty to complete her probationary period, has lost her race, gender, and disability discrimination lawsuit against the Denver Fire Department.

Read More »

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the termination of a Hunstville, Texas firefighter. Jason January claimed his termination in 2019 was disability discrimination and retaliation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Read More »