Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A Texas fire chief who was terminated for allegedly overspending his budget, has filed suit alleging wrongful termination and defamation.
Fire Chief Landon Smith was terminated earlier this month by the City of Van Alstyne because he allegedly overspent the fire department’s budget by $180,000. He had been on administrative leave since July.
Chief Smith was under an employment agreement with the city that ran from December 28, 2013 to December 28, 2015. Under the agreement, the city was required to pay Chief Smith three months salary as severance in order to terminate him for less than cause.
Van Alstyne’s mayor, Larry Cooper, contends that Chief Smith’s termination was for cause on account of the overspending.
Chief Smith’s attorney, Lindsay Goldstein, was quoted as saying “Chief Smith is a dedicated public servant who never hesitated to put his life on the line for his community. While we cannot get into the specifics of his termination, the current narrative is inaccurate and paints an unfair picture of Chief Smith and his department.”
