Dallas Sues Former Firefighter for $127,000 They Paid Him Following Resignation

Everton Bailey Jr.
The Dallas Morning News
(TNS)

Apr. 13—A former Dallas firefighter kept getting paid for nearly two years after quitting his job — even as he moved out of Texas — according to a lawsuit filed by city attorneys last week. Now, the city wants its money back.

Dallas city attorneys filed a lawsuit against Ivan Gonzales, alleging he continued receiving paychecks for 20 months after leaving Dallas Fire-Rescue in June 2023. The payments totaled $127,441, including benefits.

Gonzales, who had already moved to Florida, updated his banking information in the city's payroll system in 2024, allowing the unearned payments to continue being deposited directly into his account, according to the lawsuit.

After Gonzales resigned, his termination paperwork was submitted to human resources but not processed until April 2025, the city said. Meanwhile, according to the lawsuit, his supervisor continued approving biweekly paychecks under a presumption that anyone on his roster of more than 250 people worked 40 hours a week, even if they didn't submit time entries.

"There were many other Ivans and Gonzales' on Captain (Corey) Womack's roster which prevented him from realizing Mr. Gonzales had not been removed from the roster," the lawsuit said. Gonzales moved to Florida sometime in 2023 or 2024, the city said.

Gonzales didn't immediately respond Monday to calls and texts left at a number listed for him in public records. City officials declined comment citing the pending litigation when asked by The Dallas Morning News if they found other cases of former employees being paid erroneously or if any policies had been changed to address such issues.

Chris Peterson, president of the Dallas Fire Fighters Association, acknowledged receiving a request for comment from The News but didn't immediately respond.

The city attorneys also want interest on the money, starting from when they filed the lawsuit. City payroll records from 2024 list a Dallas firefighter named Ivan Gonzales with the same hire date, earning $72,422 annually.

"This money was not intended to be a gift," city attorney Tammy Palomino and assistant city attorneys James Richards, Mark Baggett and Kyle Paur wrote in the lawsuit, adding that those "payments belong to the city in equity and good conscience."

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