Fire Law Blog

The City of Warwick has filed suit against Warwick Firefighters, IAFF Local 2748 claiming that certain current and retired firefighters owe the city $385,000 in overpayments that the city allegedly made back in 2013. The payments were reportedly made pursuant to a memorandum of understanding that was never duly ratified by the city council and signed by the mayor.

In this special edition of Fire Law Roundup, Bill Maccarone and Curt discuss two recent FLSA cases in the fire law news. The first involves a suit out of Honolulu alleging a violation of the FLSA. The second is a $1.6 million settlement of an overtime suit out of Milwaukee.

A Columbia fire captain who was terminated after posting comments online that were critical of law enforcement following a shooting death of one of his relatives, is filing suit to get his job back. Captain Ameer Bagley was fired on April 10, 2020, just 3 days after the death of 17-year-old Joshua Ruffin.

A wrongful termination suit filed by an Ohio firefighter-medic who was dismissed after he conducted a court ordered blood-draw from an impaired driving suspect, will proceed according to a ruling by a US District Court judge. Mitchell Plunk was terminated from the Chester Township Fire Department.

A major fire at a Walmart distribution center in Plainfield, Indiana earlier this year, has led to the filing of tort claims with 34 different fire agencies. This is turn has prompted headlines proclaiming that Walmart has sued all of these entities, which is not the case - at least not as of today.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for September 26, 2022, Bill Maccarone and Curt discuss an investigation into a San Francisco firefighter who was wearing a “Let’s Go Brandon” shirt on duty; a lemon law case filed by a Illinois fire department over a $1.4 million aerial platform; the settlement of a disability suit ...

A San Francisco firefighter is facing a disciplinary investigation following a social media photo of him wearing a “Let’s Go Brandon” shirt while apparently engaged in fire department activities. The photo was posted on Twitter, and the poster tagged Mayor London Breed, a city supervisor, and the fire department, asking the question “is this the new official uniform for the SFFD?"

An Illinois fire department has filed suit against Seagrave Fire Apparatus, LLC, alleging breach of contract, breach of warranty, and violation of the state’s “lemon law” due to problems with a new 105-foot Apollo aerial platform. The Lockport Township Fire Protection District filed suit today in US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The city of Tonawanda has agreed to settle the claims of a female firefighter relative to her eligibility for disability benefits and her wrongful termination. Amy Newman was firefighter with the Tonawanda Fire Department. She suffered a shoulder injury in 2018.

A volunteer firefighter in New York who was dismissed for allegedly missing three consecutive monthly meetings, has filed suit claiming First Amendment, due process and equal protection violations. Keith Davis filed suit in federal court naming the Commack Fire Department, the Commack Fire District, the fire chief, the executive board, and the fire commissioners as defendants.

Nine members of IAFF Local 3217, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Professional Firefighters, have filed suit against the Authority and three chief officers seeking an injunction to prevent retaliation against them for trying to bring to light safety related staffing concerns. The nine firefighters are the elected officers and executive board of the local.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for September 19, 2022, Brad and Curt discuss the case of a volunteer firefighter in Virginia charged with burning his own vehicle; a Kentucky fire chief charged with stealing from his department; a lawsuit filed by the former fire chief in Sacramento seeking $10 million for wrongful termination; ...

A Philadelphia firefighter who claims he was harassed and bullied by his officer after returning to duty following a heart attack has filed suit claiming disability discrimination and retaliation. Perry Lawrynkiewicz filed suit in US District Court claiming violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and the City of Philadelphia’s Fair Practices Ordinance.

A Virginia firefighter has been charged with burning his own vehicle. Matthew Christopher Bush is accused of felony arson for setting his 2021 Honda Civic on fire on August 12, 2022.

A Kentucky fire chief has been indicted for stealing from the fire department. David G. Douglas Jr., the fire chief for Barlow Rural Fire Department, was indicted by a Ballard County grand Jury on a single count of theft by unlawful taking greater than $10,000.

The former fire chief in Sacramento is claiming that his termination earlier this year was the result of retaliation by the city’s mayor. Gary Loesch seeks $10 million because Mayor Howard Chan wrongfully terminated him on May 26, 2022, and intentionally exposed him to COVID in retaliation for having challenged earlier discipline.

Ten per-diem firefighters with the Pascoag Fire District have filed suit claiming they are entitled to compensation for all of the hours they provided services to the district, including hours they volunteered.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for September 12, 2022, Brad and Curt discuss a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the mother of a firefighter who died trying to rescue trapped occupants at a fire in a NY assisted living facility; a discrimination suit by a lieutenant who claims he was forced to remove ...

The mother of a New York firefighter who died in an assisted living facility fire in 2021 has filed a wrongful death suit against the facility, its owners, two contractors, and the village where the fire occurred. Lieutenant Jared Calvin Lloyd died on March 23, 2021 at a building fire at the Evergreen Court Home for Adults.

An Oregon lieutenant who was pressured to remove himself from a promotional list for captain, has filed suit alleging discrimination on the basis of disability, veterans’ status, and whistleblower status. Daniel Krug filed suit in Multnomah County Circuit Court naming the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue District and Division Chief Gregory Ladrow as defendants.