Tag Archives: settlement

Convictions, Terminations and Appeals

What should happen to a firefighter who is terminated after being convicted of a criminal offense, when the conviction is overturned? That is the question facing the fire department on the island of Jamaica, but there’s a catch: The 2009 conviction was reversed in 2020.

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Fire Law Roundup for October 9, 2023

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for October 9, 2023, Brad and Curt discuss criminal charges against volunteer firefighters in two states for setting multiple fires; a court ruling dismissing FDNY from an EMS-related suit for wrongful death; the ...

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Fire Law Roundup for May 1, 2023

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for May 1, 2023, Brad and Curt discuss a suit brought by a woman who was injured by a fire hose being dragged by a Dallas fire truck; a suit by the former ...

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Race Discrimination Settlement Subject to Bankruptcy Claims

There are many parts of the law that impact firefighters. A decision handed down last Friday by the US Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida shows that even bankruptcy law has a role to play. The story begins with a Jacksonville firefighter, Terrance Holmes, who filed a voluntary petition for bankruptcy in 2014.

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Court: Union Can Settle Firefighter Discipline Case

The US District Court in Eastern Washington has concluded that a firefighter’s due process rights are not violated by a union settling a disciplinary matter against him, even if the agreement waives his right to appeal. The case involved a disciplinary investigation in the Spokane Fire Department into allegations of harassment and bullying.

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Stamford Fatal Christmas Fire Settlement Was For $6.65 Million

The Stamford Advocate is reporting that the recently settled lawsuit involving the City of Stamford over the fire on Christmas morning 2011 that killed five family members, involved a payment of $6.65 million to the plaintiffs. When the settlement was made public in May 2017, the amount of the settlement was confidential.

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YCMTSU Accident Case Settled in California for $4 Million

A lawsuit arising out of a bizarre incident where a brush truck ran over a man lying on a fire station ramp in San Bernardino County, has been settled for $4 million. According to court documents, the incident occurred on December 9, 2013, when Brandon Coles discovered Seandor Flis, “in his vehicle unconscious.”

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Settlement Announced in California FLSA Overtime Suit

The Southern Marin Fire Protection District has settled an overtime compensation lawsuit filed earlier this year by forty-four firefighters. The firefighters sued in February claiming the district incorrectly calculated their regular rate, which is the rate that is to be used to determine the overtime rate.

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NJ Township Settles Sexual Harassment Suit for $30k

A New Jersey township has agreed to pay $30,000 to a female employee to settle her claims that the fire chief “smacked” her on her “rear end”. Lorie Cutts, an administrative assistant for the Medford Township Fire Department, claimed that Fire Chief Thomas Thorn smacked her on her bottom in front of 2 other firefighters.

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DC Finally Settles Decades Old Overtime Suit for $45 million

A contentious overtime battle in the Nation’s Capital that goes back to the 1990s has finally been settled… this time for real!!! Last January DC agreed to settle a suit brought by firefighters over the payment of overtime for $47 million. However, it wasn’t until yesterday that the parties finally worked out all the details and signed the agreement bringing the matter to an end.

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Maryland Male-on-Male Harassment Suit Settled

An $8 million lawsuit filed in 2013 by a paramedic firefighter who claims co-workers harassed him over his effeminate demeanor has reportedly been settled. Zackary C. Tyndall sued the Berlin Fire Company and four supervisors alleging they engaged in a pattern and practice of harassment based upon their perception that he is homosexual. Tyndall claims he was regularly called “queer”, “faggot”, and “cocksucker” by coworkers.

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