Wrongful Termination Claim Made After Firefighter Fired

For people in some careers, actions away from work can have a profound impact on their jobs. A case that has been going on for more than three years that involves a California firefighter shows just how significant of an impact things that happen away from work can have on a job, even if no criminal convictions are associated with the actions.

The City of Redondo Beach is being sued by a firefighter who was allegedly wrongfully terminated after he admitted to groping women in a nightclub. The incidents happened on Jan. 8, 2011, at the Busby’s nightclub. The man groped four women who didn’t consent to his advances.

The interesting fact in this case is that the man was acquitted of the charges placed against him after his attorney argued that he was given the date rape drug against his knowledge. The acquittal came in March of 2012, but he was fired from his position as a firefighter on April 20 of the same year as an internal disciplinary measure.

He sued the fire department for wrongful termination. In December 2013, he won an arbitration hearing that enabled him to return to the fire department at a lower rank.

The wrongful termination claim names the former fire chief, city officials, and the city as defendants. The man is seeking more than $180,000 for lost wages and other damages caused by being removed from his position. The firefighter’s union is standing behind the man and his lawsuit.

This firefighter has opted to pursue legal remedies to compensate for damages he says he received when he was wrongfully terminated. Anyone who has been let go from a job for something similar can follow this man’s example.

Source: Easy Reader News, “Redondo firefighter, fired amidst sexual battery charges, sues City, officials” Alyssa Morin, Jun. 05, 2014