Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone

Two groups of District of Columbia firefighters have filed suit challenging the department’s no-beard rule. The two suits, filed earlier this week in US District Court for the District of Columbia, allege separate claims that reach the same end: firefighters want the right to have beards.

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In a decision handed down today, the California Court of Appeals affirmed a jury verdict awarding over $4.1 million in damages to former West Covina Fire Chief Larry Whithorn, who was terminated following a prolonged medical leave.

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The United States Department of Justice has filed an unopposed motion to dissolve a landmark 1978 consent decree that has governed the City of Norfolk’s hiring practices in its Police and Fire Departments for nearly half a century.

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A Florida circuit court has ruled in favor of the West Manatee Fire and Rescue District in a legal challenge brought by a short-term rental property owner over higher fire assessment rates for vacation rentals.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for July 7, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss a reverse discrimination lawsuit filed by a Hamden, Connecticut fire lieutenant; a ruling that the City of Chicago violated the ADA by rejecting a candidate ...

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A former lieutenant with the Hamden Fire Department has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Town of Hamden, alleging he was denied a promotion due to his race. The suit, claims that the Town violated the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act when it failed to promote him to Fire Captain in January 2023.

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A federal district court judge has ruled the City of Chicago violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) when it withdrew an offer of employment to a firefighter/EMT based on his mental health history.

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The Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) has filed a declaratory judgment action seeking to prevent the reinstatement of a union president and former Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting lieutenant, citing a post-termination security breach and its federally mandated authority over secure airport access.

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The City of Columbia has denied allegations contained in a wrongful death lawsuit that it was responsible for the death of an Irmo firefighter, and what’s more, countered them with serious allegations of its own. In addition, the city has filed a Third-Party Complaint against the Irmo Fire District, accusing it of defamation.

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A former Texas firefighter has filed suit claiming his former employer failed to pay overtime in accordance with federal law and wrongly claimed the special FLSA exemption available to public agency fire departments under 29 U.S.C. § 207(k).

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for June 30, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss a Hawaii decision that placing firefighters on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation is not disciplinary; the dismissal of a lawsuit ...

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The Intermediate Court of Appeals of Hawaii has concluded that the placement of firefighters on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation is not disciplinary.

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A federal district court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a former Deputy Fire Marshal with the Raleigh Fire Department who alleged she was constructively discharged following the City's denial of her request to work from home to breastfeed her newborn child.

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A Calabasas resident has filed a federal lawsuit in the Central District of California alleging that agencies including the LAPD, LAFD, and LA County Sheriff’s Department have been subjecting him to years of low-altitude, unjustified helicopter surveillance in violation of his constitutional rights.

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