Louisiana Appellate Court Concludes Fire Apparatus Has Immunity in Intersection Collision Case
A Louisiana appellate court has dismissed a lawsuit arising out of an intersection accident involving an engine from the Kenner Fire Department. The court held that the City of Kenner was entitled to qualified immunity under Louisiana’s Emergency Responder Sta…
Ohio Firefighter Charged in Homicide and Arson After Responding to Fire Scene
An Ohio volunteer firefighter has been charged with aggravated murder and aggravated arson following allegations that he shot a woman, set fire to her home, and then responded to the scene as part of the fire department’s response.
Ohio Firefighter’s Hearing-Loss Termination Case Heads to Sixth Circuit After Summary Judgment for Township
A federal district court decision issued earlier this year in favor of Genoa Township, Ohio, in a firefighter hearing-loss discrimination case has now been docketed with the Sixth Circuit. The appeal follows a February 13, 2026 ruling granting summary judgment…
Michigan Firefighters Claim Township Blocked Promotions To Full-Time Positions After They Backed Chief Over Staffing Dispute
Four part-time firefighters in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan have filed a federal lawsuit claiming township officials changed the hiring criteria for full-time firefighter positions after they publicly supported Fire Chief Jamie Jent and criticized what they …
Fire Law Roundup for April 13, 2026
In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for April 13, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a race discrimination lawsuit filed by a former New Haven lieutenant; an appellate decision upholding the termination of a former assistant fire chief in Frisco, Texas; a ruling by a…
Acquitted New Haven Lieutenant Sues City Alleging Race Discrimination in Termination
A Connecticut firefighter who was acquitted of a sexual assault charge has filed suit in federal court against New Haven, alleging that city officials racially discriminated against him. Lt. Keith Norfleet claims the city terminated him before his criminal cas…
Texas Court Upholds Frisco’s Termination of Assistant Fire Chief on Extended PTSD Leave
The Texas Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by a former assistant fire chief in Frisco. Cameron Kraemer claimed claimed the city violated its own personnel policies and unlawfully discriminated against him by terminating his employ…
Missouri Firefighter Keeps Cancer Suit Against 3M in State Court
A federal judge in Missouri has sent a firefighter cancer suit against 3M back to state court after concluding that 3M could not have the case removed to federal court and sent to South Carolina where the AFFF mass tort litigation cases are being heard, becaus…
Seafood Company Files $185 Million Suit Against Tacoma Over Ship Fire
A Washington seafood company has filed suit against the City of Tacoma, alleging that tactical decisions made by the Tacoma Fire Department during a 2023 shipboard fire caused a contained fire aboard a commercial fishing vessel to spread and destroy a vessel v…
Three Texas Firefighters Charged With Sexual Assault of Junior Firefighter
Three firefighters associated with the Howe Volunteer Fire Department have been arrested following an investigation into allegations that a 16-year-old junior firefighter was sexually abused by multiple members of the department during 2022.
Fire Law Roundup for April 6, 2026
In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for April 6, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss a Oregon lawsuit claiming a trespass order against a person prohibited from coming to a fire station is illegal because it prohibits them from attending public meetings; a ruling that…
Oregon Fire District Sued Over Trespass Order Excluding Resident from Fire Station Property
A resident of New Pine Creek, Oregon, has filed suit against the New Pine Creek Rural Fire Protection District, its fire chief, and its board chair, alleging that a trespass order barring him from district property violates his constitutional rights.
Judge Orders FDNY to Remove Six Fire Cadets Serving as EMTs in Civil Service Dispute
A New York judge has ruled that the FDNY violated state civil service law by temporarily appointing fire cadets to EMT and EMS trainee positions despite the existence of eligible civil service lists for those titles. The ruling affects the six fire cadets who …
Code Enforcement Cases in the Fire Law News: One Filed, One Dismissed
Lawsuits arising out of code enforcement responsibilities lead to approximately 1.8% of fire service civil litigation. Two such cases are in the Fire Law News today—one newly filed in Massachusetts involving underground fuel storage tanks, and the other a fede…
Former Paid Firefighters Sue North Carolina Volunteer Fire Company for Unpaid FLSA Overtime
Two former paid members of the North East Cabarrus Volunteer Fire Department & Community Center in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, have filed a suit alleging the department failed to pay overtime required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Firefighter’s Military-Service Discrimination Claims Partially Survive in Alaska Federal Court
A federal judge in Alaska has allowed portions of a lawsuit brought by an Anchorage firefighter/EMT alleging military-service discrimination and retaliation to move forward, while dismissing older claims as time-barred.
Fire Law Roundup for March 30, 2026
In this episode of Fire Law Roundup for March 30, 2026, Brad and Curt discuss criminal charges brought against a Kentucky firefighter for payroll fraud; a Massachusetts appellate decision upholding the dismissal of a former fire chiefs defamation suit against …
Kentucky Firefighter Charged, Resigns Following Alleged $10,000 Overtime Fraud
A firefighter in Winchester, Kentucky has been arrested and charged after city officials concluded he fraudulently claimed more than $10,000 in overtime pay over a 13-month period. According to Winchester Police, FF Kenneth Ball was charged with theft by decep…
Massachusetts Appeals Court Affirms Dismissal of Former Chief’s Defamation Suit
A Massachusetts appellate court has affirmed summary judgment in favor of a town selectboard chair who was sued for defamation by a former fire chief following the chief’s termination. Former Stockbridge Fire Chief Chief Ernest J. Cardillo, Jr. originally file…
Federal Court Dismisses Challenge to the Appointment of City Fire Chief By Louisiana Governor
A federal judge in Louisiana has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the appointment of Monroe Fire Chief Timothy Williams, ending—for now—a dispute that began when the Monroe City Council and Mayor Friday Ellis remained deadlocked for more than a year over who sh…