A group of local firefighters that won a discrimination lawsuit against the city of Cleveland 10 months ago said that the city still hasn't paid up, and now a judge in the case is blasting the city in a federal court order.
When a group of black Cleveland firefighters made some serious allegations that they were targets of a hostile work environment and weren't promoted, a federal jury agreed.
The city agreed to promote 32 firefighters and pay out $650,000 to the group. But the group claims the city is being slow to act.
Fire dispatcher David Butler said that in 22 years he was never promoted, and now he is waiting to become a lieutenant.
"Their lives are on hold. We've exhausted all options legally," Butler said.
Butler, the other firefighters and their attorneys, Dennis Thompson and Christi Bishop, say the city is stonewalling.
A federal magistrate judge wrote in a Dec. 5 court report, "It is inconceivable to this court that the plaintiffs haven't been promoted or paid," and blasted the city for using "delay techniques."
"But even so, since December nothing's been done, nothing at all," said Thompson.
