Constitutional Rights

A man with psychological problems who was forcibly taken to the hospital on two occasions in 2021, has filed suit against NYPD, FDNY and the city’s hospital system claiming violations of his Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Ali Moore claims that he was “wrongfully arrested, seized, harassed...

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A Colorado firefighter has filed suit alleging she was sexually harassed throughout much of her 10-year membership in the East Grand Fire Protection District #4, and sexually assaulted leading to her constructive termination. Lisa MacKendrick filed suit in US District Court for the District of Colorado against the district and its fire chief.

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A professional standards investigation by the Rochester Police Department has recommended that a police officer who handcuffed an EMT last July face disciplinary charges. Investigator Charles LoTiempo will remain on suspended-with-pay status while the disciplinary process plays out.

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The US District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma has dismissed claims against four Oklahoma City firefighters who were accused of violating a patient’s civil rights by restraining him in 2019. Charles Lamar Vanlandingham died after being restrained by first responders, including firefighters.

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A Massachusetts fire lieutenant and union president who was fired in April, has filed suit in conjunction with his union alleging the city’s action violates the First Amendment. Lieutenant William S. Taylor was fired by the City of Marlborough, in large measure because he wore his Class A uniform to the funeral of a firefighter.

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A Tennessee judge has issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of two Nashville Fire Department policies that regulate employee speech. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by a firefighter who was suspended for calling the city council “white supremacists” in social media.

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A Columbia fire captain who was terminated after posting comments online that were critical of law enforcement following a shooting death of one of his relatives, is filing suit to get his job back. Captain Ameer Bagley was fired on April 10, 2020, just 3 days after the death of 17-year-old Joshua Ruffin.

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A volunteer firefighter in New York who was dismissed for allegedly missing three consecutive monthly meetings, has filed suit claiming First Amendment, due process and equal protection violations. Keith Davis filed suit in federal court naming the Commack Fire Department, the Commack Fire District, the fire chief, the executive board, and the fire commissioners as defendants.

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An altercation between an on-duty Alabama firefighter and a local property owner has led to a federal civil rights lawsuit naming the firefighter and the fire department as defendants. Dois Wayne Cordell filed suit against firefighter Michael Hammock, the City of Sumiton, the Sumiton Police Department and the Sumiton Fire Department.

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Twelve African American fire lieutenants with the Chicago Fire Department have filed suit claiming they were discriminated against on account of their race in the scoring of a promotional process for captain in 2017.

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An Illinois fire lieutenant who claims he was retaliated against after reporting sexually harassing behavior in his department, has filed suit alleging retaliation, hostile work environment, and whistleblower violations. Steven Edwards filed suit against the Mount Prospect Fire Department, three chiefs and the HR Director.

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The verdict is in and the incident scene photo-taking by Los Angeles County Sheriffs and firefighters at the scene of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash in 2020 will cost the taxpayers an additional $31 million. That figure is on top of $2.5 million in settlements already reached with the families who also sued.

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A woman who claims she was injected with a sedative following her protest at an NBA playoff game in June, has filed suit against the San Francisco Fire Department and the San Francisco Police Department. Kareim McKnight filed suit yesterday ...

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A former Wisconsin firefighter has filed suit claiming she was sexually harassed and then retaliated against once she complained. Megan Tautges claims the harassment and retaliation she suffered during her tenure with the Greendale Fire Department became intolerable, forcing her to resign.

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