Tag Archives: sex discrimination

On the heals of a firefighter suicide associated with allegations of sex-based cyberbullying, two sexual harassment lawsuits, and an investigation into sexually inappropriate photos being posted by the department’s investigating officer, a female battalion chief has filed a sexual harassment suit.

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A Tampa firefighter who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit in March, was terminated the following day. Tanja Vidovic was terminated on March 24, one day after she filed suit in federal court accusing the fire department of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

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Through the sleuthing of a government watchdog, the confidential settlement of a sex discrimination lawsuit against a New Jersey fire department last July has been publicly revealed. John Paff, a well known open government advocate, uncovered the settlement between the Rockaway Township Fire Department and Sara Matthews.

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A volunteer firefighter in Indiana who was claims she was “removed” from her department has filed suit in US District Court in Indianapolis alleging gender discrimination. Elizabeth McKee accuses Fire Chief Jack Brockman and the Amity Community Volunteer Fire Department of eliminating her position in “logistics”, demanding she return her pager and keys, and terminating her from the department on account of her gender.

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A Kentucky fire captain has filed suit against her department alleging gender-based discrimination over disciplinary charges that were filed against her last year. Middletown Fire Protection District Captain Natalie Taylor was suspended last December over comments she made about the department’s leadership at a November 20, 2014 officer's training session.

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A Washington state firefighter has agreed to settle two sexual discrimination lawsuits she filed against her fire department and several officers for $600,000. Andra Thompson claims that she had been subjected to a hostile work environment, sex discrimination, and retaliation during her 11 years with the Kennewick Fire Department.

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A Missouri fire district has agreed to pay $20,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by the ACLU on behalf of a captain who sought spousal benefits for her same-sex partner. The ACLU of Missouri filed the action against the Ozark Fire Protection District on behalf of Captain Andi Mooneyham, who married Tara Muck on July 25, 2013 in California, where same sex marriages were legal.

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A Utah fire captain who was terminated after she was unable to take a physical abilities test for medical reasons, has filed suit in federal court alleging both gender and disability discrimination. Captain Dawnya Halliday claims that a physical abilities test adopted by the Saratoga Springs Fire Department in 2012 unlawfully discriminates against women.

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The Tulsa City Council voted Thursday afternoon to settle a sex discrimination suit brought against the city and Fire Chief Ray Driscoll that claimed the chief took a photo of a fire department applicant in order to compare it to ...

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A firefighter-paramedic in Kissimmee, Florida who was terminated in October 2013, has filed suit claiming she was the victim of sexual discrimination and retaliation under state and federal law. Melanie Jerozal filed suit last week in US District Court for the Middle District of Florida. She was terminated just five months after she had been hired, and claims it was “because of her gender...

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On December 3, 2014 the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a case that will hopefully settle uncertainty about whether employers must provide the same (or even more favorable) benefits to pregnant employees as they do for non-pregnant employees who have similar work limitations related to non-line-of-duty injuries or illnesses. While there have been multiple cases of fire departments facing repercussions for failing to treat pregnancy the same as non-line-of-duty injuries, there has been some disagreement among the lower courts about what the law actually requires.

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The settlement of a lawsuit filed by a female candidate for the Kenner, Louisiana Fire Department, has sparked a second lawsuit – this one over access to the terms of the settlement. Jack Zewe, described in the media as a ...

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A Michigan fire officer is claiming she was discriminated against when she was not made acting fire chief despite having served as interim chief for eighteen months. Training and Safety Officer Ona Lee Aguilar of the Saginaw Fire Department claims ...

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A female firefighter in a small Maine town has filed suit alleging she has been subjected to a hostile work environment by coworkers in the fire department and by elected town officials as well. Andrea Thompson filed suit in York ...

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