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Orlando Fire Department Sued Over Alleged Failure to Treat Teen with Respiratory Distress
A wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuit has been filed against the City of Orlando Fire Department following the December 2023 death of a 16-year-old boy with autism, Down syndrome, and end-stage renal disease. The lawsuit alleges that paramedics dispatched to the scene failed to assess, treat, or transport the teen despite being informed of his life-threatening condition.
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Fire Law Roundup for August 4, 2025
In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for August 4, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss the dismissal of the due process claim brought by a disabled former FDNY firefighter who alleged that New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate violated his rights under the Fourteenth Amendment; a false arrest and malicious prosecution lawsuit brought by a NJ fire captain against the Borough of Belmar; a lawsuit brought by a WA deputy chief alleging sex and sexual orientation discrimination; a determination that a settlement offer between a Charlotte, NC firefighter and the city in a race discrimination suit had not been finalized,…
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Federal Court Grants Summary Judgment to City in FDNY Vaccine Mandate Suit
A federal judge has dismissed the primary constitutional claim brought by a disabled former FDNY firefighter who alleged that New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate violated his rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. The case was brought by former firefighter Obrian Pastrana, who contended that the City’s refusal to grant him a medical exemption after a severe reaction to the first vaccine dose violated his substantive due process rights.
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Federal Court Allows New Jersey False Arrest Case to Proceed
A complex false arrest and malicious prosecution lawsuit involving the Borough of Belmar, NJ, and its emergency services took a key step forward this week. In Hines v. Borough of Belmar, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued a 71-page opinion granting in part and denying in part the Borough’s motion for summary judgment.
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Deputy Chief Files Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit Against Eastside Fire and Rescue
A former Washington fire chief whose department was consolidated into Eastside Fire and Rescue has filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court alleging sex and sexual orientation discrimination, along with retaliation and wrongful termination.
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Federal Court Denies Motion to Enforce Settlement in Charlotte Fire Department Discrimination Case
A long-running employment discrimination case involving the Charlotte Fire Department is heading back to trial after a federal judge ruled that an enforceable settlement was never reached between the City of Charlotte and Captain Lance Patterson, a 20-year veteran of the department.
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Tale of Two Disability Pension Rulings: Brookfield IL and FDNY
Two cases from two fire departments on the issue of whether disabled firefighters qualify for accidental (line-of-duty) pensions, give us the opportunity to explore the factors that pension boards must consider when awarding or denying such pensions. Both firefighters sustained back injuries. Both sought accidental disability pension benefits. Both were awarded ordinary disability pensions. Both appealed.
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Fire Law Roundup for July 28, 2025
In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for July 28, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss a wrongful termination lawsuit brought a former Orlando deputy chief; two suits filed by San Antonio firefighters alleging disability discrimination stemming from their struggles with Long COVID; the conviction of a former propane technician for involuntary manslaughter in connection with a 2024 house explosion that killed a Loudoun County firefighter; a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed by an Indiana fire department; and a jury award of $1 million in damages to two Harrodsburg firefighters who alleged they were unlawfully terminated in retaliation for…
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Former Orlando Deputy Chief Sues City Alleging Retaliation and Wrongful Termination
A former deputy chief who was fired by the City of Orlando less than a year after he was hired, has filed suit claiming he was retaliated against for opposing discriminatory practices. Deputy Chief Manuel Navarro filed suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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Fire Law Roundup – July 25, 2025 – Followup on Bootcamp Style Academies
In this edition of Fire Law Roundup, Curt continues the discussion from Monday’s Roundup with a more in depth review of the problem of fire instructors pushing recruits beyond their physical limits, resulting in LODDs. He is joined by his brother, Bill, a former firefighter and retired police detective commander who now works for the US Department of Defense. California Firefighters Keep Getting Injured During Training. Some Have Died Arizona fire recruit dies after suffering heat-related emergency during training Houston Fire Cadet Who Collapsed During Training, Passes Away Rhabdomyolysis in Firefighters Texas Suit Alleges Military Bootcamp Style Training Caused Fatal…
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Indiana Fire Department Files for Bankruptcy Under Chapter 11
It doesn’t happen very often, so when it does, it’s rather significant. On July 22, 2025, the Utica Township Fire Department, Inc., filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11.
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Federal Jury Awards $1 Million to Harrodsburg Firefighters Terminated for Union Organizing
A federal jury in the Eastern District of Kentucky has awarded $1 million in damages to two Harrodsburg firefighters who alleged they were unlawfully terminated in retaliation for organizing an IAFF local.
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