Former Paducah Fire Captain Files Federal Lawsuit Over Termination
A former Paducah fire captain and union president has filed a 34-page federal complaint alleging that his termination in October constituted retaliation for his union involvement, protected speech, petitioning activities, and wage-related complaints. The lawsuit, filed November 3, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, by Captain Nathan Torian following the City Commission’s decision to uphold his termination last month.
Captain Torian, a 21-year veteran of the Paducah Fire Department and president of IAFF Local 168, was terminated on October 3, 2025, following a hearing before the Paducah Board of Commissioners. As covered in a prior Fire Law Blog post on October 9, 2025, the City charged Captain Torian with violating multiple provisions of the City Code, including insubordination and improper conduct.
In the newly filed lawsuit, Captain Torian alleges that the charges and termination were pretextual and that the “real reason” was his outspoken advocacy on public safety issues and his actions on behalf of Local 168. He claims he was targeted for filing grievances, speaking publicly about training standards, filing an FLSA complaint over unpaid overtime, and questioning the appointment of a battalion chief he said lacked necessary qualifications.
Captain Torian’s lawsuit claims that the City of Paducah, its Board of Commissioners, Fire Chief Steve Kyle, and City Manager Daron Jordan violated his rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Kentucky labor statutes, and state public policy. He asserts that “Defendants terminated Torian because of his protected speech about matters of public concern, including public safety issues and concerns about the use of public funds.”
According to the complaint, the retaliation escalated after Captain Torian applied for a $5,000 safety equipment grant on behalf of Local 168 in September 2023. The lawsuit alleges that City Manager Jordan accused him of misrepresenting the City’s authorization on the grant and eventually suspended him over an email exchange about the matter. Captain Torian claims a series of escalating disciplinary actions followed, culminating in the June 1, 2025, incident where he allegedly addressed a newly promoted officer by her prior rank—a charge that was among the reasons cited to recommend termination.
The lawsuit lays out a chronology of grievances, internal complaints, and union-related correspondence spanning 2022 through 2025. Torian alleges that after filing an FLSA wage complaint in May 2025, the City interviewed him about the June 1 rank-reference incident the day after state investigators contacted Fire Chief Kyle. He was placed on unpaid leave, and police escorted him from City Hall in August 2025 pending a City Commission hearing, which ultimately led to his termination.
The complaint seeks reinstatement, back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and a declaration that the City’s actions were unlawful. A copy of the complaint is available below.
