Tag Archives: spoliation

The Ohio Court of Appeals has rejected the appeal of a convicted arsonist, that the fire department’s failure to preserve fire scene evidence warranted a reversal of his conviction. Bryan Kirby was convicted in Butler County Court of Common Pleas of aggravated burglary, arson, and two counts of aggravated arson.

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An Illinois firefighter who claims she suffered years of sexual harassment has been awarded $11 million in damages by a Cook County jury. Dena Lewis-Bystrzycki sued the City of Country Club Hills in 2012, alleging a hostile work environment that became worse after she first complained.

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An Illinois judge has agreed to issue sanctions against a fire department for failing to preserve digital evidence in a sexual harassment case. The case dates back to 2012 when Country Club Hills firefighter Dena Lewis-Bystrzycki filed suit against the department, fire chief Joseph Ellington and firefighter Carl Pycz.

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The Orlando firefighter who was terminated for audio recording the rant of a City Commissioner while on a medical run, has filed suit for wrongful termination and retaliation. Firefighter-Paramedic Joshua L. Granada was terminated after he used his cellphone to record a hostile verbal encounter with City Commissioner Regina Hill.

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An Illinois fire department is facing court-ordered sanctions after having been caught deleting evidence from its computer system that was relevant to a sexual harassment case. The Country Club Hills Fire Department has been embroiled in a sexual harassment suit brought by firefighter Dena Lewis-Bystrzycki dating back to 2012.

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A lawsuit against the city of Stamford stemming from a fire that killed five members of a family on Christmas morning in 2011, has been settled on the eve of trial. The fire killed Lomer and Pauline Johnson, as well as their three granddaughters. The girls’ mother, Madonna Badger and Michael Borcina, barely escaped the blaze.

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The sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a female firefighter who was the target of an infamous bathroom cam stunt back in 2010 has been settled for $850,000. Jessie Noah was the target of a video camera hidden in the towel dispenser in the women’s bathroom in a Los Alamos County fire station in October, 2010.

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A fatal fire that claimed the lives of five people in Stamford, Connecticut on Christmas morning, 2011 is in the news with word that one of the defendants who was sued for wrongful death has agreed to settle by paying $5 million.

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Fire Chief David Fulmer has been waging the battle of his life as he fights to regain his reputation following being terminated from the West Licking Joint Fire District in 2012 and again 2014. Chief Fulmer was terminated in 2012 on vague charges related to computer misuse, but was widely believed to have been targeted for replacement due to animosity that had developed between him and the board of trustees

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Two Kenosha, Wisconsin union officials are facing suspensions for their role in a complicated case where a cellphone allegedly recorded a discussion that took place after they stepped out of a meeting with the fire chief. But the case raises a number of more complicated issues involving criminal law, evidence, and even a Constitutional question or two!!!

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Today’s burning question:  Are text messages subject to disclosure under the public records laws? Answer: Yes, work related text messages sent or received by a public employee are a public record and unless they fall under one of the listed ...

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The City of Washington, Pennsylvania has settled a controversial sex discrimination suit brought by the city’s first female firefighter. Victoria Bozic was fired by the City of Washington on March 5, 2009, after she allegedly misrepresented where she lived during ...

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The female firefighter who was the target of an infamous bathroom cam stunt back in 2010 has filed suit against the Los Alamos County Fire Department and the firefighters who allegedly perpetrated the “extreme sexual exploitation”. Jessie Noah was the ...

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A grieving mother who lost her three children and her parents in a tragic Christmas morning fire in 2011, has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Stamford, Connecticut and local officials for the wrongful demolition of her home ...

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