Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A Virginia firefighter who was terminated after just six months on the job, has filed suit claiming he was the victim of whistleblower retaliation. Stuart A. Miner filed suit against the Fire Chief Greg Schacht and Augusta County seeking $5 million in damages.
Miner alleges he was hired in March 2024, and terminated a month after he expressed concerns about how drugs were being managed in August 2024. A copy of the complaint is not available, but according to the News Leader, it alleges Miner informed the chief about:
- “the lawful need for maintaining an accurate inventory of the contents of the drug box, including such steps as inspecting the contents, reviewing packaging of the items for preparedness of use in the field, and reviewing expiration dates of drugs within the drug box, among other lawful and necessary steps for the use and maintenance of drug boxes.”
The suit was filed in August County Circuit Court. It reportedly alleges there was no lawful reason for his termination, and that it was in retaliation for raising those concerns.
This is not Miner’s first wrongful termination lawsuit. In March 2019, Miner filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the City of College Park, Georgia. At the time, Miner was a firefighter with the College Park Fire Department. He accused the fire chief and the city of violating the Georgia Whistleblower Act, O.C.G.A. § 45-1-4. In 2021, a Georgia jury awarded him $350,000 in damages. More on the story.
