Discrimination

The New York Daily News is reporting that recently filed court documents in the contentious age discrimination suit brought against Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh by several FDNY chiefs alleges that she was slow to react to the fire problem with e-bike lithium-ion batteries for political reasons.

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A San Antonio firefighter who resigned in 2021 has filed suit alleging he was being discriminated against on account of his sexual orientation. Austin Tschirhart filed suit in federal court naming the city and Lieutenant Gerrilyn Casals as defendants.

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Today’s fire law news left me with a bit of a dilemma. Do I cover one of the most significant Supreme Court decisions in decades even though it does not involve firefighters? Do I cover news reports of a possible lawsuit being brought against FDNY by firefighters even though an actual lawsuit has not been filed? Or do I cover a rather boring public records ruling out of New Jersey that involved a fire department?

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A captain with the Patterson, New Jersey fire department has filed suit against the city, the mayor and the fire chief claiming he has been treated unfairly and denied a provisional promotion to battalion chief in retaliation for his complaining about the city’s failure to comply with certain legal requirements.

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A class action sexual harassment lawsuit brought against a Canadian fire department has resulted in a novel settlement that will award victims between $10,000 and $285,000. The suit was brought last year by two female firefighters against the Leduc Fire Services, in Ontario.

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A $425,000 settlement has been reached in a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a former firefighter in Harrison, New York. The lawsuit was filed last year by the US Department of Justice on behalf of Angela Bommarito, naming Town of Harrison, its police chief, Harrison Volunteer Fire Department No. 1, and Fire District Number Two of Harrison.

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The US Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld summary judgment in favor of the City of Kankakee in a lawsuit brought by a female firefighter who accused her officer of assaulting her while they were fighting a fire. Michelle Giese claims Lieutenant Nathan Boyce picked her up and pushed her on October 18, 2018.

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A Florida division chief who was fired in 2022 has filed suit claiming disability discrimination. Walter Ebbert filed suit against the Ocean City Wright Fire Control District. The suit was initially filed in Okaloosa County Circuit Court, and removed by the district to US District Court.

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A lawsuit filed by a former Milwaukee firefighter over his termination has been dismissed by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The suit was brought by Michael S. Peden, who was terminated on June 17, 2020 for conduct that reportedly took place in 2017.

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Five dual function EMT-firefighters with the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services have filed a class action lawsuit alleging that the city has reneged on pension-related promises. The complaint seeks to require the city to comply with its contractual and statutory pension obligations, as well alleging the city was motivated in denying them their benefits due to their race and gender.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for May 29, 2023, Brad and Curt discuss a St. Louis firefighter accused of using a credit card that belongs to the victim of a vehicular accident; the former fire chief of Denton ...

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A Rochester firefighter who was required to attend a racist party while on duty in 2022, has filed suit alleging race discrimination. Jerrod Jones, a 14-year veteran, filed suit in US District Court for the Western District of New York naming the city and his captain as defendants.

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A California firefighter who was dismissed from two different fire departments, has filed suit against one of the departments and three of its officers. Shelly White filed suit against the Rough & Ready Fire Protection District, Fire Chief Robert Vaughn, Captain Matt Wright, and Lieutenant David Hicks alleging sexual harassment and discrimination.

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The City of Omaha has agreed to settle a race and gender discrimination suit brought in 2021 by a firefighter for $275,000. Jane Crudup claims she was harassed and discriminated starting shortly after she was hired in 2019.

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