Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A recruit who was fired from the Minneapolis Fire Department in February, 2020 has filed suit accusing the department of race discrimination. Dol Din, who is of Somali descent, filed suit in state court yesterday. A copy of the complaint is not available, but according to the court’s web site, an amended complaint was filed today.
According to the Star Tribune, Din reported he had been assaulted by a training officer in the academy, and contended he was subjected to “outward aggression.” In the alleged assault, Din, 45, was slammed against a stairwell wall. An internal investigation prompted the transfer of two training officers in December, 2019.
The suit contends that after Din reported the assault he was subjected to “increased hostile treatment” from fellow recruits as well as training staff. He was terminated on February 21, 2020. The Start Tribune quoted from the complaint: “Had the Department not unlawfully terminated Dol’s employment, Dol would have been the Department’s first Somali-American Firefighter.”
More on the story. If a copy of the complaint can be secured it will be uploaded here.
