Ex-Kalamazoo Township, MI, Fire Chief Reaches Settlement for Wrongful Firing

KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI — A settlement agreement has been reached in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former Kalamazoo Township Fire Chief David Obreiter.

Obreiter issued a joint news release with the township and former Township Manager Dexter Mitchell on Thursday, Sept. 4, announcing the parties had reached a resolution to a lawsuit filed by Obreiter in U. S District Court.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, per the agreement.

Obreiter and Battalion Chief Matt Mulac were terminated in 2022 for violating the township’s harassment policy after a Hispanic female township firefighter accused a male firefighter of ongoing sexual and racial harassment.

After pleading for his reinstatement to no avail, Obreiter filed a suit against Mitchell and the township in 2023, stating he was “subjected to a hostile and abusive interrogation, and deprived of crucial evidence required to defend himself.”

After granting the township’s request to forego a jury trial, U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker ruled against Obreiter on April 2, 2025, closing the case.

Obreiter later appealed the ruling, still hoping to obtain monetary relief as determined by a jury.

While the appeal did not make it to a jury trial, a settlement has been reached and the parties have agreed to dismiss the case in its entirety. That includes the appeal, which had been pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

“While the specific terms of the settlement remain confidential, all parties have expressed satisfaction with the outcome,” reads a statement from all parties. “This resolution allows the parties to move forward without the necessity of continued litigation. This settlement reflects the interests of all parties involved.”

While Obreiter’s case against the township and Mitchell is now resolved, Mitchell still has his own wrongful termination case against the township pending in Kalamazoo County Circuit Court.

According to Kalamazoo County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jeff Williams, Mitchell and the township have a case evaluation set for Oct. 3, a settlement conference on Dec. 5 and a civil jury trial currently slated for Dec. 9.

Mitchell was fired in February 2024 after being charged with felony eavesdropping for allegedly recording a private, closed-session meeting between township board members and the township attorney in March 2023.

He pleaded no contest to a lower misdemeanor charge of willful neglect in July 2024 and the county agreed to dismiss the felony charge.

In his lawsuit against the township, Mitchell alleges the township discriminated against him on the basis of race and retaliated against him for reporting misconduct, a violation of Michigan’s Whistleblower Protection Act.

The suit names former Township Supervisor Don Martin and criticizes his handling of issues in the fire department.

On Feb. 3, 2022, Mitchell notified township staff that an 18-year-old Hispanic female employee of the township fire department had been the victim of sexual harassment and racial discrimination, according to court documents.

A white male firefighter had allegedly touched the woman’s breasts, attempted to hit her on the “ass” with a stick and she was referred to as “hot” by her coworkers, who would jokingly accuse her of being part of a Mexican drug cartel, documents state.

As a result of his investigation, Mitchell fired Obreiter and Mulac.

Mitchell alleges that Martin expressed his discontent with Mitchell’s decision and attempted to rehire the two men in the weeks that followed.

The township denied the allegations in its response to the lawsuit, but did not contest that Mitchell was stripped of his ability to terminate township employees after the incident.