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

A Nashville firefighter who was disciplined over a social media post is poised to accept a $450,000 settlement from the city. Josh Lipscomb, who besides being a firefighter is a comedian that goes by the stage name of Josh Black, was suspended for fourteen days for the Twitter post he made in February, 2022.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for December 19, 2022, Brad and Curt discuss a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a DC firefighter who claims an officer sexually assaulted her in the firehouse; a ruling by the Massachusetts Civil ...

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A firefighter with the District of Columbia has filed suit claiming that a supervisor physically assaulted her in the firehouse, and that she was retaliated against once she reported it. Anaje Boyd filed suit alleging violations of Title VII and the DC Human Rights Act, as well as retaliation.

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The Massachusetts Civil Service Commission has upheld the bypass of a female military veteran for a position as a reserve firefighter in Somerville. Virginia Hussey challenged the city’s decision to bypass her hiring in 2021.

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A Polk County firefighter is facing felony charges for fraudulently submitting for working extra 24-hour shifts he did not work. The firefighter, Lance Taylor Dunn, has since resigned from Polk County Fire.

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A Miami firefighter at the center of a racially charged incident in 2017 that led to the termination of six firefighters, finds himself at the center of allegations that he beat a handcuffed prisoner. The incident occurred at Jackson Memorial Hospital in October, 2022 was caught on recently released security footage.

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The State of New York has enacted a law entitled "New York State firefighter bill of rights act". The new law is an amendment to Section 75 of the civil service law. Among its highlights is the mandatory appointment of an independent hearing officer before a paid firefighter can be disciplined or dismissed.

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for December 12, 2022, Brad and Curt discuss a race discrimination lawsuit filed by a Sacramento firefighter claiming he was harassed by supervisors and colleagues, a claim against the city of Baltimore by ...

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A Sacramento firefighter is claiming that supervisors and colleagues discriminated against him on account of his race. Waris Gildersleeve filed suit against the city and two captains in US District Court for the Eastern District of California alleging race discrimination under federal and state law.

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The families of three Baltimore firefighters who died while battling a fire in a rowhouse last January, have publicly announced their plans to file suit against the city, the mayor and the fire department. The firefighters, Kenny Lacayo, Paul Butrim and Kelsey Sadler were caught in a collapse on Strickler Street.

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A Boston firefighter who was placed on unpaid leave due to his failure to comply with the city’s COVID vaccination requirements has filed suit seeking $8,342,068.00 in damages from the city. Michael Browder Jr. filed suit in Suffolk County Superior Court yesterday.

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An ambulance service in New York is facing a class action lawsuit for mishandling protected health information and failing to disclose a data breach as required by the HIPAA. Robert D’Agostini filed suit last week against Empress Ambulance Service LLC dba Empress EMS.

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A Washington firefighter has filed suit claiming he was sexually harassed during his fire academy training by an instructor. Keanan Metcalfe filed suit in Snohomish County Superior Court naming the City of Everett, Snohomish County, Snohomish County Fire Protection, South ...

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In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for December 5, 2022, Brad and Curt discuss a suit filed by a Georgia battalion chief who claims she was improperly categorized as an exempt employee, and improperly denied overtime; an Illinois ruling ...

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