Fire Law Blog

The City of Concord has agreed to pay $450,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a former firefighter, who alleged he was subjected to years of homophobic sexual harassment by co-workers and retaliation when he complained.

A former deputy EMS chief with the Cambridge Community Fire/EMS District has filed suit in federal court alleging he was unlawfully terminated from his position. Deputy Chief Jason Caira filed suit against the Cambridge Community Fire/EMS District, the Cambridge Community Fire and EMS Commission, and the commission president.

A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former Topeka fire captain who alleged race and disability discrimination after he was not promoted to Division Chief in 2022. Brently Dorsey, who joined the Topeka Fire Department claimed Topeka discriminated against him on the basis of race and disability, constructively discharged him, and failed to accommodate his medical condition.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has upheld a lower court ruling in favor of Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue in a lawsuit filed in 2022 by eight firefighters who challenged the department’s denial of their requests for religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that the Town of Cedar Bluff is immune from liability for the alleged acts or omissions of its volunteer firefighters under Alabama’s Volunteer Service Act. The decision stems from a 2017 vehicle accident that claimed the life of Susan Bonner.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for September 1, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss a decision by the Ohio Court of Appeals to reinstated a defamation claim filed by a former fire chief; a federal court decision concluding that the City of Cincinnati violated the due process rights of former Fire Chief Michael Washington …

The Ohio Court of Appeals has reinstated a defamation claim filed by the former fire chief of Port Clinton while upholding the dismissal of his remaining claims for wrongful termination. Kent Johnson, who had served with the Port Clinton FD since 1992 and as fire chief since 2008, was placed on administrative leave in June 2023 following allegations of sexual harassment.

The City of La Crosse, Wisconsin has filed a class action lawsuit in federal court against several major fire apparatus manufacturers, alleging they conspired to suppress competition, restrict supply, and drive up the cost of fire trucks. The case was filed on August 20, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has ruled that the City of Cincinnati violated the due process rights of former Fire Chief Michael Washington when City Manager Sheryl Long summarily terminated him in March, 2023.

A lawsuit filed by a former Cary, North Carolina, firefighter in Wake County Superior Court alleging disability, race, and ethnicity discrimination has been removed to federal court. Dail Hernandez, who is identified in the suit as a 47-year-old Hispanic male, filed suit against the City of Cary and the Cary Fire Department.

A division chief with the Wausau Fire Department has been charged in connection with the theft of controlled substances from the department’s supply. Jared J. Thompson, 46, serves as the division chief of emergency medical services.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 25, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss the adoption of a Firefighter Bill of Rights in Fayetteville, Arkansas; the filing of a civil claim against the Mayor of Los Angeles by the former Fire Chief alleging defamation and retaliation; a ruling by the Fourth Circuit upholding in …

The Fayetteville City Council voted unanimously last week to adopt a Firefighter Bill of Rights, making Fayetteville the first municipality in Arkansas to do so. The ordinance was enacted on August 19, 2025.

Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has filed a civil claim against Mayor Karen Bass and the City of Los Angeles. The filing, dated August 20, 2025, is a tort claim—a required procedural step before any lawsuit can be brought against a government entity.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has issued a mixed ruling in a case involving the demotion of a Lynchburg, Virginia firefighter who alleged sex discrimination, retaliation, and violations of Virginia’s Whistle Blower Protection Act.

A South Florida firefighter is accused of stealing an American flag from a Key Largo home after a dispute over loud music. Surveillance footage clearly shows the firefighter climbing onto the property, removing the flag, and swimming away with it—a scene witnessed by the homeowners only after reviewing their security camera footage.

A building owner in Holyoke, Massachusetts has filed suit against the city’s Fire Prevention Captain and the Holyoke Fire Department, seeking to overturn a Notice of Violation issued in connection with the building’s sprinkler and alarm systems.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 18, 2025, Curt and Paul Doughty discuss the arrest of an FDNY firefighter accused of assaulting a colleague in the firehouse; the settlement of an FLSA suit in North Carolina against a volunteer fire company; a decision by the Eighth Circuit to reinstate a suit brought …

An FDNY firefighter has been arrested following an alleged assault on a fellow firefighter at a Staten Island firehouse earlier this month. According to multiple news sources, on the evening of August 8, 2025, an altercation occurred inside Rescue Company 5’s quarters on Staten Island.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina has approved a settlement in a FLSA lawsuit brought by two former members of the Robinson Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue, Inc. The suit alleged that RVFD failed to pay overtime as required under the FLSA, and retaliated against firefighters for raising the issue.