Groton— The former front-runner for the deputy chief's job at the Poquonnock Bridge Fire District agreed to settle a discrimination case against the department after he got a fire chief's job in a small Vermont town.
Three days into a jury trial, Brian W. Sullivan, formerly of Middletown, accepted a $40,000 settlement from Poquonnock Bridge, putting an end to the discrimination suit he filed against the district in 2003, according to Morris J. Busca, Sullivan's New London lawyer, who specializes in labor employment cases. As part of the settlement, the district admitted to no wrongdoing.
Poquonnock Bridge Fire Chief Todd M. Paige said Tuesday that the funds will come at the expense of the district's insurance company. He declined to comment extensively on the settlement and case.
“I can say there is absolutely no merit to these claims,” Paige said. “It was basically, as far as my understanding goes, a business decision on the insurance company's part.”
Sullivan, who previously rejected a settlement proposed by the insurance company, agreed to a new deal late last month after being hired as the fire and ambulance chief in Windsor, Vt., a town of about 3,800 people, Busca said. The negotiated settlement was much more than what the district initially offered, he said.
“Because of this wonderful opportunity, he decided he wanted (the suit) to end,” Busca said. “It's ironic he was rejected for a deputy chief's job in Poquonnock but yet he was hired as a fire chief in a small Vermont town. That affected his perspective during the litigation and he wanted to turn the page.”
The Poquonnock Bridge district, which encompasses the center of Groton, includes about 12,000 of the town's residents and the town's downtown area, commercial businesses on Routes 12 and 184, several multifamily developments and a number of government and educational buildings and other institutions.
Sullivan, who has gone to Vermont, couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
Sullivan had accused the district of discriminating against him because of a physical disability. A 14-year veteran firefighter who had retired from the Danbury Fire Department in 1999 after suffering a severe job-related injury, he was among 17 applicants for the deputy chief's job in Poquonnock Bridge in 2001.
The district wanted a candidate with a bachelor's degree and at least 10 years of firefighting experience, including four years at the rank of lieutenant or higher.
Sullivan, who was a lieutenant for eight years and who had experience teaching at the state fire academy, was ranked second among the candidates for the deputy chief's job. He accepted a conditional offer from the district in February 2002 after the top candidate turned the job down.
The offer was contingent on a background investigation, according to the suit. A month later, Sullivan said Paige called him to express concern about the validity of the educational degrees Sullivan listed on his resume.
The suit said Paige claimed that the online bachelor's degree Sullivan obtained from Columbus University in New Orleans wasn't proper because the institution wasn't accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. Paige persuaded Sullivan to withdraw his acceptance of the job to avoid a “black mark” against him if the district was forced to retract its offer, the suit said.
“This was a case of Brian being rejected for the deputy chief's job on the pretext his bachelor's degree in fire science wasn't legitimate,” Busca said. He said Sullivan was discriminated against after the district found out about his disability retirement from Danbury.
After being injured on the job in 1998, Sullivan had to have his right hip replaced and a steel rod inserted in his right leg.
“We thought we had strong disability claims but as I said, his accepting this position as fire chief ... vindicates him. They are well aware of his bachelor's degree,” Busca said of Sullivan's new employers in Vermont.
The town administrator of Windsor, Vt., couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
© The Day Publishing Co., 2005
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