Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 28, 2023, Brad and Curt discuss a lawsuit filed by Maui County against local utility companies over the recent wildfires; a suit by a former Alabama captain claiming he was passed ...

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Maui County has filed suit against four utility companies servicing the island seeking damages arising out of the devastation wildland fires that occurred earlier this month. The suit names Maui Electric Company, Limited, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company, Inc., and Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. as defendants.

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A former captain with an Alabama fire department has filed suit claiming the failure to promote him to battalion chief in 2020 was due to his race, and that after complaining about it he was retaliated against. Captain Demetrius Webb filed suit in federal court against the City of Homewood and Fire Chief Nicholas Hill.

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A Texas fire department that has been in the Fire Law News twice recently, is once again facing a lawsuit. The Magnolia Fire Department, Montgomery County Emergency Services District #10, and two chief officers are facing a sexual harassment suit brought by a former firefighter - assistant office manager.

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The Fourteenth District Court of Appeals of Texas has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the driver of a car that was struck by a Houston engine that was backing up. Emmitt Wilson filed the suit in state court naming the city and firefighter Jason Carroll as defendants

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A former deputy chief for a fire district in Florida has filed suit claiming he was not paid overtime in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Brian C. Dubrasky filed suit against the Upper Captiva Fire Protection & Rescue District.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 21, 2023, Brad and Curt discuss a the dismissal of an age-discrimination suit brought by a 46-year old Maryland firefighter recruit; a $20 million suit brought by a terminated fire chief ...

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A lawsuit filed in 2021 by a 46-year-old recruit who was terminated from the Howard County Fire Department’s fire academy in 2018, has been dismissed following a grant of summary judgment in favor of the county. Robert D. Whittaker, III, claimed he was the victim of age discrimination.

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The Columbia River Fire & Rescue is facing a $20 million lawsuit filed by recently fired Fire Chief Joel Medina. The suit filed in US District Court for the District of Oregon names the fire district, four members of the fire district board, IAFF Local 3215 St. Helen’s Professional Fire Fighters Association, and several current and former officers of Local 3215.

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The family of a woman who died in a fatal fire in Coolidge, Arizona, has filed suit against the city alleging the fire department was responsible for her death. Nicole Erin Gustafson died in a house fire on June 12, 2022.

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Several environmental groups, including the Friends of Big Bear Valley, John Muir Project of Earth Island Institute, and San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society, have filed suit against the US Forest Service in an effort to block fuel reduction in the San Bernardino National Forest, and more specifically in the vicinity of Big Bear.

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A class action lawsuit has been filed against Maui Electric Company, Limited, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc., and Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. alleging they bear responsibility for the tragic Lahaina Fire on the Island of Maui. At present at fire has claimed at least 99 lives, destroyed 2700 buildings, burned over 2,000 acres and caused damages estimated at over $5 billion.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 14, 2023, Brad and Curt discuss a Rhode Island superior court decision upholding the right of fire districts to charge for plan review; the grant of summary judgment to the defendants ...

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The sensational case of an African American firefighter in Rochester, NY who claims to have been forced to attend a racist house party while on duty, has taken a dramatic turn as the party’s host has a filed a defamation suit against the firefighter’s attorney and an elected official who made public statements about what occurred.

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