BETHESDA, Md. (WUSA) -- Lewis German wasn't paid as a volunteer deputy chief with the Bethesda Fire Department. But now, German, and his attorney Mark Zaid, are collecting $259,000 from that department in Montgomery County. The money is part of a settlement reached in a lawsuit filed by German after he was dismissed as a volunteer in February, 2002.
Zaid announced the settlement in a press release on Wednesday. The case was scheduled to go to trial in June. German contended the dismissal violated his First Amendment rights.
The suit centered on German's speaking out about emergency preparedness in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001. In early October, 2001 German talked with WUSA-TV claiming that $500,000 worth of hazardous material gear was sitting in the Chevy Chase fire station and had not been distributed to volunteers in the county.
Then County Executive Doug Duncan disputed the claims made by German and Kensington Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jim Stanton.
Bethesda Fire Department officials, unhappy with German speaking to the media, demanded that German apologize to Duncan, take a 6-month suspension and never again contact the news media. When German refused, he was dismissed as a volunteer with Bethesda.
Duncan and other Montgomery County officials were previously dropped from the lawsuit with Bethesda FD remaining as the defendant. Sources indicate the insurer used by Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service to cover the volunteer fire companies will now be responsible for paying the settlement.
We have attempted to contact officials with the Bethesda FD but have not received a response.
For more on this and other stories, visit STATter 911 Blog
Republished with permission from WUSA9
