Sexual misconduct

A Massachusetts firefighter has been charged with using a hidden camera to secretly record a female colleague in the firehouse. Nicholas Tillman is facing two charges, unlawful interception of a wire or oral communication (wiretap) and secret sexual surveillance.

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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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A firefighter in Texas who was demoted and fired after he complained about sexually harassing behavior by his fire chief, has filed suit claiming retaliation. Ryan Horton filed suit today naming the Klein Volunteer Fire Department and Harris County Emergency Service District # 16 as defendants.

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The US DOJ has filed suit against town-village of Harrison and two fire departments within the town accusing them sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation. The suit stems for the treatment of former firefighter Angela Bommarito by the town, its police chief, and two fire companies.

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A female firefighter who was secretly recorded by a voyeuristic colleague has filed suit against the fire department and the member. The lawsuit accuses former firefighter Patrick Nicholson, East Jefferson Fire Rescue and Jefferson County with violating the victim’s civil rights, wiretap violations, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and trespass.

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A California firefighter who was arrested last December after investigators uncovered child pornography on electronic devices at his firehouse and his home, has pled no contest to possession of child pornography. Kern County firefighter Christopher Vega resigned from the fire department January 14, 2022.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup, Brad and Curt discuss a LODD apparatus accident case out of Texas, a reckless driving with an engine case from Virginia, a fire chief theft case out of Louisiana, sexual harassment cases from Texas and Virginia, and several more from beyond the blog.

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The US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated a sexual harassment suit brought against the Houston Fire Department by a female firefighter. Melinda Abbt brought the action in 2019 after discovering that male firefighters obtained a nude video of her, and watched it multiple times over a period of years.

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A sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit filed by a division chief with the Ashville Fire Department will proceed, despite most of the claims having been dismissed. That was the bottom line of a lengthy ruling by US District Court Chief Judge Martin Reidinger.

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In this episode, Curt reviews a lawsuit filed by several Massachusetts firefighters that blames AFFF and PPE manufacturers for their cancers; a ruling in an overtime lawsuit in Reading, PA; a decision that a city does not have to providing ...

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Mobile Fire-Rescue is investigating allegations by a female firefighter that a fire captain inappropriately touched her in the fire station while on duty. According to WKRG, the both the city and the US Department of Justice are investigating the allegations that reportedly occurred in December, 2021.

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An Oregon firefighter who is already facing state and federal charges for stealing drugs and using them to sexually assault unsuspecting women, has been sued by one of his victims. Eugene-Springfield firefighter Edward Augustus Blake, 44, is facing charges of rape, sodomy, and strangulation in addition to drug related offenses.

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A former Indiana fire chief who was already facing charges for sexual misconduct with a minor, has been charged with stealing more than $140,000 from the Summitville Fire Department and Van Buren Township.

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A probationary firefighter who claims he was sexually harassed and denied an accommodation for his psychological conditions has filed suit alleging sexual harassment and disability discrimination. Johnathan Schaupp filed suit today in US District Court against the City of Casa Grande Fire Department

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