Rock Hill firefighter Matt Cooper could lose his job today.
Cooper, 25, is expected to return to a York County courtroom in another bid to stop the city from firing him.
In June, he married Brooke Lowery, daughter of fire Capt. Herbie Lowery. The city said that violates its nepotism policy and that Cooper would lose his job. A federal judge delayed the firing as the case moved through court, but the delay expires today.
"It's just stressful for both of us because we're trying to get our lives started," Cooper said Sunday.
On Friday the case moved back to state court after Cooper's attorneys dropped arguments that put the case under federal jurisdiction.
If a state judge rules against Cooper today, he said, he'll file a wrongful-termination suit against the city. His attorneys could not be reached Sunday.
City Manager Carey Smith has said the nepotism policy is designed to prevent conflicts of interest and perceptions of favoritism. He has said officials made Cooper aware of the policy when he and Lowery began dating, and that Cooper was offered several jobs in other city departments.
One of Cooper's lawyers has argued that losing his job would cause Cooper "irreparable harm," both to his marriage and well-being.
"He's not just losing a job," attorney Molly Elkin told a judge. "This is a way of life."
Distributed by the Associated Press
