You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

The San Jose Mercury News has filed suit against the City of San Jose seeking to obtain records related to the fire department investigation into the Pink Poodle strip club incident and the reported discipline of members involved. The suit was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court pursuant to the state’s public records law.

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A woman who was injured in an altercation with a Sparks firefighter has filed suit alleging battery and excessive force. Maureen Hvegholm filed suit against Timothy Egan in Washoe County District Court. The incident occurred last December and was captured on surveillance video.

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A firefighter with the CalFire has filed suit claiming he was subjected to harassment and retaliation by a supervisor, culminating is his being demoted from captain to firefighter II. Ken Meyers filed suit in Santa Clara County Superior Court naming CalFire and Battalion Chief Tim Main as defendants.

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Two cases we have been following have seemingly come to a conclusion this past week. The first case out of San Jose caught quite a bit of media attention due to the titillating nature of the allegations: a video surfaced last fall showing a scantily clad woman exiting a San Jose engine and entering a local strip club.

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A hidden camera discovered in a bathroom inside a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue station bathroom last weekend has prompted a criminal investigation by the Miami-Dade Police Department and an internal investigation by MDFR. The incident reportedly occurred at Station 69 in located in Doral.

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The City of Columbus has agreed to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by city firefighter over her treatment while in the fire academy in 2019. The suit was originally filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, and later removed to US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

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The International Association of Firefighters has filed suit against the National Fire Protection Association claiming that portions of NFPA 1971 wrongfully impose requirements on structure fire turnout gear that, in essence, mandate the use of cancer-causing PFAS. The three-count complaint alleges civil conspiracy, violation of Massachusetts’ unfair and deceptive trade practices act, and negligence.

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An Alabama fire department has filed suit against a Florida-based dry cleaner claiming that the cleaning process damaged seven Santa costumes. The Lillian Volunteer Fire Department filed the small claims action against Modern Dry Cleaning, of Pensacola, Florida, seeking $1618.12 in damages and $225 in costs.

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Three FDNY chiefs who were demoted by Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh earlier this month have filed suit claiming they are being retaliated against for raising legitimate safety concerns. Assistant Chiefs Joe Jardin, Michael Gala and Fred Schaaf filed suit today in Kings County Supreme Court.

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The long-awaited wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Flint and two firefighters has been filed by the mother of two boys who died after a housefire last year. Crystal Cooper claims that Sgt. Daniel Sniegocki and firefighter Michael Zlotek are responsible for the deaths of Zyaire and Lamar Mitchell.

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Five Louisiana firefighters have filed suit claiming the fire department violated their civil rights last year by ordering them to be finger printed. Christopher Perre, Kevin Crossen, Mitchell Arbaugh, Michael Giarrusso and Brandon Barthel filed suit against the East Bank Consolidated Special Service Fire Protection District.

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Three Memphis firefighters have been terminated in the aftermath of the death of Tyre Nichols. Nichols died on January 10, 2023, three days after he was beaten by Memphis police officers who have since been charged with murder.

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A fire lieutenant with the Denver Fire Department has been terminated following an investigation into offensive comments that over time earned him the nickname of the Racist-Rover. Lieutenant Jared Russo was terminated last month following an investigation that began July 27, 2022.

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The City of Rye, New York has agreed to pay $3.25 million to settle a sexual abuse lawsuit brought in 2020 over conduct that took place in a firehouse in the 1970s. The suit claimed that two officers of the Rye Fire Department sexually abused a young boy.

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