Demoted MN Fire Captain Wins Verdict

A Minneapolis fire captain, who claimed she was demoted for criticizing the department’s former fire chief, was awarded $420,000 by a federal jury in St. Paul, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Capt. Jean Kidd, 53, said she was “thrilled” by the verdict, which followed a three-day civil trial in which she told jurors in

U.S. District Court that she had been demoted from her job as a deputy chief in retaliation for remarks she made on an employee survey in 2009. In it, she criticized the management of the fire department by then-Chief Alex Jackson.

“They believed me,” Kidd said of the jury decision. She plans to retire next year.

Susan Segal, Minneapolis city attorney, said Thursday she was “disappointed” by the verdict but respected the jury process. “We continue to believe that our former chief acted in good faith” in removing Kidd as deputy chief, she said.

“There are some legal issues with the verdict that we are reviewing and we may decide to bring before court some post trial motions,” she said.

The verdict represents one of the largest judgments against the city fire department, which has been wracked with turmoil over the past decade.

The city faced six lawsuits by five firefighters over the alleged misdeeds of former Fire Chief Bonnie Bleskachek. Several cases were settled out of court and one trial resulted in a $150,000 award in 2009, three years after Bleskachek was removed in a sex scandal. The legal bills and payouts in those cases cost the city at least $668,500.

Jackson retired in February amid criticism by the City Council over his management of the department, including ballooning overtime and his handling of safety inspections.

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