Sexual Harassment

A North Carolina division chief who retired earlier this year, has filed suit alleging she had been sexually harassed and discriminated against. Division Chief Joy Ponder filed suit in US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina against the City of Ashville.

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A female firefighter in Dubuque, Iowa has filed suit accusing the department of sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation. Jami Boss filed suit in Dubuque County District Court claiming violations of the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

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An FDNY EMT has filed a gender discrimination lawsuit accusing a female deputy chief of going on a campaign to damage her career. Margot Loth filed suit on Saturday in US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suit claims that Deputy Chief Donna Tiberi engaged in repeated acts of discrimination against Loth.

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The City of Houston has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the US Department of Justice on behalf of a female firefighter alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. The settlement puts to rest a contentious case that originally involved two female firefighters that dates back to 2009.

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The City Council of Las Vegas voted today to approve the settlement of a lawsuit brought by a female firefighter who was at the center of a controversy surrounding a sexually explicit video. The firefighter, identified as Jane Doe, claims a former boyfriend who was a firefighter in Henderson, improperly shared an intimate video of her after their relationship ended.

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Reality TV star Angelina Pivarnick has agreed to settle her sexual harassment lawsuit against FDNY and the New York City for a reported $350,000. Pivarnick, who starred on the TV show Jersey Shore, joined FDNY in 2016 as an EMT. She claims ...

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Two California EMTs who were terminated after refusing to transport COVID 19 patients last spring because they were not supplied with properly-fitting N95 masks, have filed separate suits claiming wrongful termination, gender discrimination, retaliation, and violation of California Labor code.

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The City of Utica has prevailed in its appeal of a lower court ruling reinstating and awarding backpay to a firefighter who was terminated for sexual misconduct on duty. Richard J. Forte was terminated following a bizarre incident in the firehouse in 2018. He was initially suspended without pay while the discipline process began, and later terminated.

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An inadvertent disclosure of an internal disciplinary investigative report by Bedford County, Virginia constituted a waiver of any attorney-client privilege that otherwise would have applied, according to a ruling last week. The case involves a volunteer EMT who was sexually assaulted and abused by a career lieutenant while participating in ride-along training with the Bedford County Department of Fire & Rescue when she was a minor.

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A San Jose firefighter who was terminated in 2009, has lost a second appeal to the California Court of Appeals. Grant Seibert was terminated following allegations that he sent sexually suggestive emails to a 16-year old girl who visited the fire station, and for his behavior toward a female colleague.

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A Columbus, Ohio battalion chief who resigned last year amidst allegation of sexual harassment, has been sued by a “fire cadet” for coercing her to undress and touching her inappropriately. The cadet, whose name was not released in news reports about the lawsuit, filed suit today in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

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A Kentucky firefighter has been fired from one department and suspended without pay from a second after he was accused of having unwanted sexual contact with a colleague in the firehouse. Elijah Mays was arrested earlier this week, hours after he allegedly assaulted a female colleague

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A lawsuit accusing the La Habra Heights Fire Department of religious discrimination and sexual harassment, has been settled. Former volunteer firefighter Jared Hartstein filed the suit in LA County Superior Court accusing the department of terrorizing him throughout his five months of training.

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Three Massachusetts firefighters who were terminated just before Christmas last year have filed separate lawsuits claiming their firing was retaliation for cooperating with a state police investigation involving their current fire chief. Capt. Rebecca Boutin, FF David Kennedy and FF Kyle Miltimore filed their suits against the City of Westfield.

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