OMAHA, Neb. --
The president of Omaha's firefighters union filed a lawsuit against a group that has become one of its most vocal critics.
An attorney for president Steve LeClair said LeClair filed his lawsuit Tuesday evening against David Nabity and the Omaha Alliance for the Private Sector. The announcement came during the City Council meeting.
LeClair's lawsuit alleges defamation of character. The allegation is in connection to comments Nabity made during a recent radio interview. The attorney said Nabity accused LeClair of theft by deception.
The lawsuit was filed in Douglas County District Court.
Nabity said he expected no less.
"When anybody exposes something that has to do with fire department, the first thing they do is file lawsuits and try to harass. That’s their game plan. It’s the thuggery that this city's been living under for years," Nabity said.
A state auditor's review recently found poor and nonexistent financial records within the fire department. Department leaders vowed to work with city and federal officials to establish a bookkeeping process.
LeClair said Tuesday the fire department has cooperated with the Department of Labor, the FBI, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Omaha's city finance director said Tuesday that the fire department was within $136,000 of its budget.
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