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

Tag Archives: Cathy Austrian

Vermont Fire Department Sued Over Ketamine Injection

The mother of a 14-year-old boy with developmental disabilities has filed suit against the City of Burlington, Vermont accusing police and firefighters of racial bias, excessive force, and unnecessarily injecting her son with ketamine in an effort to subdue him in 2021. Cathy Austrian filed suit in Chittenden County Superior Court accusing the city of several state law violations.

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.

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