A Florida firefighter is suing his department, alleging that a captain discriminated against his disability, while other firefighters joined in the retaliation.
Firefighter Eduardo Mesa filed a discrimination lawsuit this week against Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, WPTV-TV reports. According to the lawsuit, Mesa suffers from a condition that forces his eyes to twitch and can cause "unusual blinking/closing eyes for a few seconds at a time."
During recruit academy training, a Palm Beach County Fire Rescue captain allegedly harassed Mesa for blinking and was asked if he was sleeping or praying. Mesa also accused other members of the department of discriminating against him based not only on his disability, but also his nationality and religion, the TV station reports.
This latest filing is the fourth lawsuit against Palm Beach County Fire Rescue involving accusations of discrimination, harassment and retaliation since 2016. The department is unable to comment on pending legal action.
