ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) -- A firefighter went to court after he was ordered to quit because he married the fire captain's daughter, which the city called a violation of its nepotism rule.
Matt Cooper, 25, argued that the rule should not apply to in-laws.
The policy states that immediate family members cannot work in the same department, and explicitly defines in-laws as immediate family members. Cooper's lawyer, Michael Johnson, said courts have ruled that in-laws don't qualify as immediate relatives.
Cooper, who expects to start his final shift Sunday morning, had asked a judge to issue a temporary restraining order that would let him stay with the department until the suit is settled, but there was no immediate decision.
The city filed papers Thursday to move the case to federal court, The Herald reported Friday. Cooper's lawyers called the request an attempt to delay the case until after the firing takes effect.
Cooper married 21-year-old Brooke Lowery, daughter of Capt. Herbie Lowery, last month.
Rock Hill, a city of 54,000, is 20 miles south of Charlotte, N.C.
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