Tag Archives: Oakland Fire Department

The City of Oakland has agreed to pay $32.7 million to settle a mass tort suit arising out of the Ghost Ship Fire. The December 2, 2016 fire in a converted warehouse claimed the lives of 36 concert-goers and injured scores of others. The lawsuit alleged that city officials were aware of fire and building code deficiencies in the warehouse but failed to address the problems.

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An Oakland captain is suing the city and Fire Chief Darren White claiming he was wrongly passed over for a promotion in the fire marshal’s office because his son was convicted of arson. Captain Howard Holt filed the suit last week alleging race discrimination, age discrimination, retaliation, and a host of state law claims.

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An Alameda County Superior Court judge has dismissed the City of Oakland from a lawsuit over the deaths of four people in fire at a halfway house last year. Judge Brad Seligman ruled that the state’s immunity laws shielded the city from liability despite criticism that fire inspectors did “too little too late”.

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Two men involved in operating the Ghost Ship venue in Oakland have pled no-contest to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The fire in the converted warehouse on December 2, 2016 killed 36 people.

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In a move that was not unexpected, the City of Oakland, Alameda County and the State of California have been added to a mass-tort lawsuit arising out of the Ghost Ship fire. The December 2, 2016 fire in a converted warehouse claimed the lives of 36 concert-goers.

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The first lawsuits have been filed in the Oakland Ghost Ship fire, accusing the building owners of negligence and wrongful death. The December 2, 2016 fire killed 36 attendees of an electronic dance music event at a warehouse named Ghost Ship. Two suits were filed Friday in Alameda County Superior Court.

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A federal court jury has ruled against an African American firefighter who had claimed to have been the victim of race discrimination. Ronald El-Malik Curtis claims that his firefighter co-workers harassed him because of his race. El-Malik Curtis alleged “he was subjected to a hostile work environment... experienced retaliation because he reported the racial discrimination; and that the City failed to prevent the discrimination.”

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A veteran captain with the Oakland Fire Department who claims he was passed over for promotion to battalion chief has filed suit alleging discrimination and retaliation based upon his Native American and Hispanic descent. Captain Joseph Torres claims that Oakland Fire Chief Teresa Deloach Reed purposefully bypassed him in favor of caucasian and black candidates.

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