Tulsa Settles Fire Department Hiring Discrimination Suit for $35k
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 nude photos of her he had been given.
The bizarre suit was filed in 2014 by Jessica Chance, an applicant for the Tulsa Fire Department in 2011. According to the complaint:
- The Plaintiff advanced to the fourth round of the testing/hiring process.
- During this interview, Defendant Driscoll instructed the Plaintiff to stand against a wall and pose for a picture. He stated that they were taking pictures of all of the applicants, however, upon information the Plaintiff gained from other male applicants, Plaintiff learned that the other male applicants were not photographed.
- The Plaintiff then learned that she was not being hired to work for the Tulsa Fire Department in August 2012.
- The Plaintiff next learned that the photograph taken of her by Defendant Driscoll was used to compare to nude photographs obtained of the Plaintiff from a Tulsa Police Officer in order to confirm that it was the Plaintiff in the photographs.
- The nude photographs were taken within the confines of a previous relationship the Plaintiff had with the Tulsa Police Officer.
- The Plaintiff was discriminated against as a result of these gender-based actions and criteria used for consideration and qualification for the position.
Chance sued the city and Chief Driscoll in state court for gender discrimination and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The city removed the case to federal court and was successful in getting the claims against Chief Driscoll dismissed. The city council approved a settlement that authorized Chance to be paid $35,000 in order to resolve the remaining claims against the city.
Here is a copy of the complaint: chancecotlawsuit
My 2 cents
First you have a couple of Calif. Highway Patrol Officers lose their jobs over transferring cell phone photos from women they stopped for traffic violations to their phones.
Now, you have the “so-called” fire chief of Tulsa, Ok., who obtains nude photos of his test applicant from her former boyfriend and…..
What? Gets off in not hiring her and not having any disciplinary action taken against him,
Like Termination?
And what else will he do? Go to the I chiefs meeting in Atlanta next week ( probably on the City’s dime )and then “hide out” from the I-women section, while hanging out with his good ‘ ol boys about how he “dodged a bullet” for his unethical actions.
And what of the test candidate herself?
This “bozo” chief ruins her reputation and she suffers from his actions at other FD’s she applies for all for the $35,000 dollar settlement, the city will pay and he keeps his personal wallet closed?
As I’ve asked, Why wasn’t he terminated?
Once again, the “perp” fire chief violates his oath of office and gets off with is agency paying for it.
I m still upset how of Calif. Central Valley chief cost his agency $2 million dollars in a harassment case, got voted I-chiefs “Chief of the Year” and then got another job
In Southern California.