Trial in fire department suit may begin in April
Fire suit trial set to begin

By AARON LEO
Connecticut Post
Monday, February 16, 2004 -

BRIDGEPORT - Two female firefighters' sexual discrimination lawsuit against the Fire Department could go to trial by April 1, nearly three years after it was filed.

Attorney Susan Wallace, who filed the federal suit, blamed the delay on "stonewalling" by the city in turning over documents.

Senior U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello is handling the suit in U.S. District Court in Hartford.

Wallace alleges in the suit, filed in July 2001 on behalf of firefighters Elizabeth O'Connell and Johanna S. Georgia, that male firefighters openly viewed pornography, intruded in and trashed women's quarters in city firehouses, and gave them ill-fitting clothes and ignored their resulting complaints, among other claims.

Wallace said a federal civil suit typically lasts from 10 to 18 months, and that the city is stalling.

"The city has thrown the kitchen sink and even pots and pans at me," she said.

She said she lost several months while the city sought a partial, then total, protective order on evidence, preventing her from gathering it.

Covello then ordered documents from the Bridgeport Fire Fighters Association Local 834 to be protected.

Attorney Bob Mitchell, who represents the city, said he sought the order after case documents appeared in the press.

He denied Wallace's charges.

"At this point, everything she's asked for, we've delivered," he said. "She seems to be looking for documents that nobody knew she wanted or may or may not fall into the scope of her request."

Firehouse logbooks that may substantiate the firefighters' claims are in dispute, Wallace said.

"There are numerous log books that have turned up missing," she said. "They're like writing on the bathroom wall."

Some of the missing books may contain records of complaints by her clients and other women, she said.

Mitchell said two-and-a-half years is not a long time for civil suits in federal court.

And despite the attorneys' disagreements, they both say Covello is handling the discovery process fairly.

"The city has made every effort to comply with her discovery requirements and has nothing to hide," he said.

Meanwhile, jury selection could begin as early as March.

Though the suit has not been argued in court, the city has already spent about $200,000 defending itself, Caryn Kaufman, spokeswoman for Mayor John M. Fabrizi, said.

The women are demanding fire officials stop discriminatory acts and create and enforce a nondiscrimination policy toward women.

They also seek unspecified punitive damages.

Meanwhile, Covello has rejected Wallace's bid to make the suit a class action.

Wallace claimed there were other victims of sexual and racial harassment in the department who have not complained.

She said she plans to refile her class action bid now that she has more evidence.

The firefighters have other complaints against the Fire Department and its officials.

Georgia has filed three complaints against Fire Chief Michael Maglione and the department's now-retired Deputy Chief Patrick Shevlin. These matters are pending before the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

O'Connell, the city's first firefighter to give birth, has a case before the state Labor Department asking the Fire Department to draft a breast-feeding policy.

Aaron Leo, who covers regional issues, can be reached at 330-6222.