Tag Archives: SCOTUS

Three Cases in the Fire Law Headlines

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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US Supreme Court Considering Fire Service Case

In my world it is a special day when a fire service case reaches the US Supreme Court. Yesterday, oral arguments were heard in Mount Lemmon Fire District v. Guido, an age discrimination case out of Arizona. John Guido and Dennis Rankin were full-time captains, and the two oldest full-time employees at the Fire District when they were terminated in 2009

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Supreme Court to Hear Pregnancy Discrimination Case

On December 3, 2014 the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a case that will hopefully settle uncertainty about whether employers must provide the same (or even more favorable) benefits to pregnant employees as they do for non-pregnant employees who have similar work limitations related to non-line-of-duty injuries or illnesses. While there have been multiple cases of fire departments facing repercussions for failing to treat pregnancy the same as non-line-of-duty injuries, there has been some disagreement among the lower courts about what the law actually requires.

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Cellphone Searches and Stipends

Today’s burning question: My fire department gives firefighters a stipend of $125 dollars a year to cover the costs of various text messages they send us and any work related calls we make/receive. Does this give the department the right to search our personal phones? Answer: No, a simple stipend would not – in and of itself – authorize a fire department to “search” someone’s cellphone

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