Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A Pennsylvania paramedic who was terminated last May, has filed a discrimination lawsuit alleging he was fired due to his religion.
Medic Paul Newell claims a supervisor’s use of vulgar language prompted him to file a complaint, which in turn led to his termination from the Lower Valley Ambulance Service. Newell claims the supervisor’s use of profanities was offensive to his religious beliefs, and the termination was retaliation for his legitimate request for the cursing to stop.
According to the complaint, Newell was told he was fired for “misprioritizing” ambulance runs. Newell disputes that he made an error in judgment claiming he responded to a patient not breathing call before handling a routine transport that was called in first. He also cites an instance where a medic who made a similar choice was not terminated. The complaint characterizes the “misprioritizating” allegation as a pretext his termination.
The suit was filed Wednesday in Federal District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Here is a copy of the complaint. Newell v Lower Valley Ambulance
