Fire Law Blog

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 …

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.

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.

A Virginia jury has convicted a former propane technician of involuntary manslaughter in connection with a 2024 house explosion that killed a Loudoun County firefighter and injured more than a dozen others.

Two San Antonio firefighters have filed separate federal lawsuits against the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Fire Department, alleging disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, and retaliation stemming from their struggles with Long COVID.

In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for July 21, 2025, Brad and Curt discuss a $50 million lawsuit brought by the family of a Virginia firefighter recruit who died during a physical training session in July 2023; Memphis Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 1784, a lawsuit brought by Memphis Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 1784, alleging …

The family of Ian Strickler, a Frederick County, Virginia firefighter recruit who died during a physical training session in July 2023, has filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Frederick County, Fire Chief Steven Majchrzak, and lead recruit instructor Kyle Ritter, alleging violations of Strickler’s due process rights.

Memphis Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 1784, has filed suit against the City of Memphis, claiming the city violated a binding agreement to provide firefighters with a 5% pay raise. The suit accuses the city of reneging on its commitment after a months-long bargaining process and violating the city’s own impasse ordinance in the process.

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has upheld the dismissal of a suit brought by a local government watchdog group seeking judicial intervention over allegations of mismanagement in the Borough of Hollidaysburg, including issues involving the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Department.

The latest round in the ongoing legal saga between the City of Houston and its firefighters has yielded a mixed result—particularly for a group of Assistant Fire Chiefs who say they were unfairly excluded from a massive $650 million backpay settlement.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals has affirmed in part and reversed in part a ruling involving a subrogation action brought by the Kentucky Association of Counties All Lines Fund against the City of Somerset and several firefighters stemming from an accident involving a runaway fire truck.