Tag Archives: white-collar exemptions

Ten Cobb County, Georgia battalion chiefs have filed a federal lawsuit alleging the county has failed to pay them overtime as required by federal law. More specifically, the battalion chiefs claim the county misclassified them as overtime exempt “white collar” employees in violation of the FLSA. Quoting from the complaint: Within the last three years, and continuing to date, while ...

My friend and colleague Curt Varone recently posted a story on his Fire Law Blog entitled, “Part-Time Fire Chiefs and Compensation.” The post answered a burning question that Curt received on whether part-time fire chiefs can be classified as overtime exempt executive employees. Curt did a great job answering that question and providing some alternative options for compensating part-time fire ...

The City of Encinitas, California is one step closer to resolving an FLSA overtime lawsuit filed by four current and former fire department battalion chiefs. Lawyers representing the city and the battalion chiefs filed a joint motion in federal court last week to approve a settlement reached following an April 2022 lawsuit. The settlement requires the city pay the battalion ...

The Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District has settled a lawsuit filed earlier this year by two former fire department battalion chiefs. The settlement, which was approved by U.S. District Court Judge, Janis L. Sammartino on January 9, 2023, requires the district to pay a total of $99,000 to settle the former battalion chiefs’ overtime lawsuit. The two battalion chiefs ...

The City of Selma, Alabama has reached an undisclosed “confidential” settlement with three fire department assistant fire marshals/fire investigators following their 2021 lawsuit for unpaid overtime, breach of contract, and FLSA retaliation. The plaintiffs’ complaint set forth three basic allegations. First, the plaintiffs claim the city misclassified them as overtime exempt employees in violation of the FLSA. Second, the city ...

A federal court in California has approved a global settlement of almost $150,000 to settle a lawsuit between Alameda County, California, and a former Emergency Medical Services Coordinator (EMS Coordinator). The settlement closely follows a 2021 lawsuit filed by Aram Bronston, an EMS Coordinator that was assigned as the county’s Regional Disaster Medical Health Specialist between November 2018 until his ...

Former Lumpkin County Fire Department Battalion Chief Sharon Booth has filed suit against her former employer alleging that the county misclassified her as an overtime exempt employee in violation of the FLSA. The lawsuit, which was filed on November 30, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia contains rather straightforward claims of unpaid overtime for ...

Three “former” Battalion Chiefs from the Portage, Indiana Fire Department filed a lawsuit in federal court last week claiming the city of Portage failed to provide them overtime pay as required by both the FLSA and Indiana state law. Additionally, the chiefs’ complaint alleges that the city has unlawfully retaliated against them in violation of the FLSA. Specifically, the chiefs ...

Two deputy fire chiefs with the Arlington, Texas Fire Department have filed a lawsuit alleging the City of Arlington fails to pay them overtime as required by Texas law. The complaint, which was filed in Tarrant County, Texas, on the behalf of Deputy Fire Chiefs Troy Brooks and Scott Hofstrom, contains several basic allegations. Quoting from the complaint: During all ...

Today’s FLSA Question: I am a fire chief for a small full-time fire and EMS department. The folks at town hall just announced a new town-wide policy that requires all senior-level administrative staff [including myself and my assistant chief] be financially responsible for any costs associated with the loss, theft, or damage of any department issued electronic device. This includes ...