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

A Los Angeles County Firefighter who was prohibited from returning to active duty and ordered to retire after he suffered two epileptic seizures, has filed suit claiming the county violated California’s disability discrimination laws. Andrew Lithgoe filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

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A Minnesota fire captain who was terminated earlier this year when he was unable to return to duty due to PTSD, has filed suit alleging disability discrimination. Joseph Tiedeman filed suit against the City of Brooklyn Park claiming that its decision to terminate him in March, 2022, violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

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A Florida fire lieutenant who was demoted for insubordination, and then terminated when he refused to accept the demotion, has lost his federal court lawsuit to get his job back. Lt. Christopher Chandler claims Walton County Fire Rescue violated the FMLA when it demoted him, and violated the FMLA and Florida disability discrimination laws when it terminated him.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for October 3, 2022, Curt discusses a lawsuit filed by an Oregon woman who claims she was sexually abused and given stolen drugs by a fire department paramedic;  a lawsuit filed by a ...

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An Oregon woman who claims she was sexually abused and given stolen drugs by a fire department paramedic has filed suit against the department and an area hospital. The plaintiff, identified as AH, is seeking $2 million in damages from the Eugene-Springfield Fire Department, PeaceHealth, the City of Eugene and the City of Springfield.

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The City of Warwick has filed suit against Warwick Firefighters, IAFF Local 2748 claiming that certain current and retired firefighters owe the city $385,000 in overpayments that the city allegedly made back in 2013. The payments were reportedly made pursuant to a memorandum of understanding that was never duly ratified by the city council and signed by the mayor.

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In this special edition of Fire Law Roundup, Bill Maccarone and Curt discuss two recent FLSA cases in the fire law news. The first involves a suit out of Honolulu alleging a violation of the FLSA. The second is a $1.6 million settlement of an overtime suit out of Milwaukee.

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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 wrongful termination suit filed by an Ohio firefighter-medic who was dismissed after he conducted a court ordered blood-draw from an impaired driving suspect, will proceed according to a ruling by a US District Court judge. Mitchell Plunk was terminated from the Chester Township Fire Department.

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A major fire at a Walmart distribution center in Plainfield, Indiana earlier this year, has led to the filing of tort claims with 34 different fire agencies. This is turn has prompted headlines proclaiming that Walmart has sued all of these entities, which is not the case - at least not as of today.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for September 26, 2022, Bill Maccarone and Curt discuss an investigation into a San Francisco firefighter who was wearing a “Let’s Go Brandon” shirt on duty; a lemon law case filed by a ...

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A San Francisco firefighter is facing a disciplinary investigation following a social media photo of him wearing a “Let’s Go Brandon” shirt while apparently engaged in fire department activities. The photo was posted on Twitter, and the poster tagged Mayor London Breed, a city supervisor, and the fire department, asking the question “is this the new official uniform for the SFFD?"

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An Illinois fire department has filed suit against Seagrave Fire Apparatus, LLC, alleging breach of contract, breach of warranty, and violation of the state’s “lemon law” due to problems with a new 105-foot Apollo aerial platform. The Lockport Township Fire Protection District filed suit today in US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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The city of Tonawanda has agreed to settle the claims of a female firefighter relative to her eligibility for disability benefits and her wrongful termination. Amy Newman was firefighter with the Tonawanda Fire Department. She suffered a shoulder injury in 2018.

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