-
Connersville Agrees to Settle FLSA Overtime Suit Filed by Fayette County EMS Personnel
The City of Connersville, Indiana, has agreed to settle a federal lawsuit brought earlier this year by a Fayette County EMT who alleged the city failed to pay required overtime to EMS personnel. The suit was filed by Josh Hensley, a paramedic employed by Fayette County EMS, as a class action.
Read More » -
Montgomery County Firefighters Acquitted in High-Profile Baseball-Field Flooding Case
Earlier this year, we covered the criminal charges brought against two firefighters from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service who were accused of using fire-hoses to flood a baseball field at Montgomery Blair High School.
Read More » -
Volunteer Fire Company in NY Files Suit Seeking Reinstatement After Fire District Suspends it From Active Duty
The Poland Volunteer Fire Company has filed suit seeking to overturn the Poland Joint Fire District’s decision to suspend the company from providing fire protection within the district. The Article 78 proceeding was filed in New York Supreme Court for Herkimer County on November 24, 2025.
Read More » -
Massachusetts Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Melrose Firefighter in Military Leave Pay Dispute
The Massachusetts Appeals Court has ruled that a state law granting public employees up to 40 days of paid military leave annually, grants firefighter-service members who work a 24-hour shift, 40 such shifts each year. The decision reverses a Superior Court decision that held that a Melrose firefighter was only entitled to twenty – 24 hour shifts of paid military leave.
Read More » -
Deep Dive: $31.5 Million Verdict in Illinois LODD Case
In this edition of Fire Law VLOG, Curt and Brad are joined by Chief Gary Ludwig (ret.) and attorney Michael Gallagher to discuss the $31.5 million jury verdict in favor of the widow of Sterling Fire Lieutenant Garrett Ramos. Lt. Ramos was killed in a fire in Rock Falls, IL. In December, 2021. Mike represented Mrs. Ramos, and Chief Lugwig served as an expert witness in the case. Here is our earlier coverage.
Read More » -
California Battalion Chiefs File FLSA Suit Seeking Overtime
A group of current and former Battalion Chiefs with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District have filed suit alleging the District misclassified them as exempt employees and failed to pay overtime as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. The case was filed in Contra Costa County Superior Court on October 16, 2025, and was removed by the District to federal court on November 19, 2025.
Read More » -
FLSA Update for November 20, 2025
In this edition of Fire Law VLOG, Curt and Bill Maccarone discuss recent trends in fire service wage and hour cases, including regular rate, executive exemption, volunteers, the reintroduction of opinion letters and the PAID program by the Trump administration, and the exemption of overtime compensation from federal income tax. Want more? Join us in Deland, Florida December 9-11, 2026 for FLSA for Fire Departments. Can’t make it to Florida? How about Houston, Texas February 3-5, 2026.
Read More » -
Tallahassee Sued Over Fire Services Fee Charged Through Utility Bills
A group of Tallahassee residents and a local government-watchdog nonprofit have filed suit against the City of Tallahassee challenging the legality of the city’s long-standing Fire Services Fee. The lawsuit was filed November 17, 2025, in Leon County Circuit Court by former mayor Dorothy Inman-Johnson, Deborah Cozart-Hawkins, Jamila Robinson, and Citizens for Government Accountability Inc.
Read More » -
Military Veteran and Advocacy Group Challenge Boston’s Hiring Practices
A disabled military veteran and a Boston-based veterans advocacy organization have filed suit in Suffolk County Superior Court challenging the Boston Fire Department’s recent hiring practices. The lawsuit contends that the City’s use of its new firefighter cadet program, along with a recently adopted “hybrid” hiring process, has improperly reduced opportunities for veterans seeking appointment to the department.
Read More » -
New Jersey Firefighter Files $25 Million Federal Civil Rights Suit Over Noose Incidents
A Bloomfield firefighter has filed suit in federal court alleging racial discrimination and a hostile work environment stemming from two separate incidents in which a coworker displayed and threw a noose at him during department training sessions. The complaint was filed November 16, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey by firefighter Patrick Thomas against the Township of Bloomfield.
Read More »