You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

A New York man who was transported to the hospital on Thanksgiving Day, 2019, has filed suit against FDNY and an EMT alleging that the EMT posted his confidential medical information on Facebook. Jermaine Williams is suing FDNY and EMT Diane Wagerik in New York Supreme Court.

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The First US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of a Massachusetts IAFF local that was sued for race discrimination and retaliation by one of its members. Brookline firefighter Gerald Alston filed suit back in 2015 accusing the city, IAFF Local 950 and several individuals of discrimination and retaliation.

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Allegations surfaced today that two members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department could be (or have been) fired for their role in a photo-taking scandal in the aftermath of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash in January, 2020.

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A Connecticut superior court has dismissed several counts in a wrongful death suit against the City of West Haven and the state arising out of a rather bizzare vehicle-accident-tasing- administration of a sedative case, but the case will proceed on the remaining counts for now.

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A Glastonbury firefighter is facing criticism for an off-hand comment that he made to a BLM activist Sunday. The activist, Ivelisse Correa, videoed the exchange she had with the firefighter.

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The mother of a 19-year-old special needs man who was shot in the Seattle CHOP zone last summer, has filed suit against the city of Seattle claiming that medics failure to come to his aid led to his death. Donnitta Sinclair filed suit last week in federal court claiming the intentional and negligent conduct of the city caused the death of her son, Horace Lorenzo Anderson, Jr.

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A paramedic captain with the San Francisco Fire Department has filed an 18-count complaint in federal court alleging an assortment of gender, pregnancy, and lactation-based claims. Sarah Perata filed suit last week in US District Court for the Northern District of California.

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A Colorado firefighter who was fired two days after organizing a meeting of firefighters to discuss complaints about management, has lost his wrongful termination lawsuit. Chad Sells was fired by the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District on July 18, 2017.

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In this edition of Fire Law VLOG, Curt discusses toxic employees, a new discount available to attendees of the FLSA program, and several cases in the fire law headlines.

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There is a rather bizarre case out of Texas in the news today, alleging that a fire chief used fire department funds inappropriately, and then fired an assistant chief who was cooperating with law enforcement officials to investigate the financial improprieties. The Golden Hammer is reporting that a former assistant chief, Chuck Grant, has filed a whistleblower suit.

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The Supreme Court of British Columbia has upheld a decision by the British Columbia Labour Relations Board to uphold an arbitration award that ordered the reinstatement a captain who engaged in sexual activity while on duty… with an on-duty dispatcher… in the fire chief’s office… lying to investigators about it… only to discover that it was caught on surveillance video the chief had installed.

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The sister of a man who was shot and killed during Black Lives Matter protests in Cicero, Illinois last summer, has filed suit against two Cicero Fire Department paramedics and a retired lieutenant for taking and sharing photos of his body. Adriana Cazares filed suit today naming Frank R. Rand, Justin Zheng, Gene Lazcano and the Town of Cicero as defendants.

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While it is rare that we see good news in the Fire Law headlines, last week saw a number of particularly unfortunate headlines for the fire service. I noticed this as I was putting together this week’s Fire Law News newsletter, and searching for today’s Fire Law headline story.

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A handful of Rockport taxpayers have filed a scathing twelve-count, 147-paragraph, twenty-four page complaint accusing town officials of an assortment of misdeeds in an apparent attempt to undercut the fire chief and re-assign command of the fire department.

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