U.S. Department
of Justice
United States v. City of Orlando (M.D. Fla.)
On March 29, 2021, the United States filed a complaint in United States v. City of Orlando (M.D. Fla.). The complaint alleged that the City of Orlando, through its fire department, violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) when a female assistant chief was subjected to sexual harassment and retaliated against for reporting the harassment. The lawsuit alleged that the Orlando Fire Department's former fire chief would subject the assistant chief to unwanted extended embraces and sex-based comments. The lawsuit further alleged that after reporting the harassment, the fire chief and his deputy chiefs retaliated against the assistant chief by, among other actions, transferring her to a position with far less prestige and responsibility, thus stopping a career trajectory that would have eventually led to her being Orlando's first female fire chief. On March 31, 2021, the Court entered a consent decree resolving the case. The decree required the Orlando Fire Department to revise its antidiscrimination, anti-harassment, and anti-retaliation policies and training materials, as well as its complaint investigation procedures regarding sexual harassment and retaliation. The decree also required Orlando to pay the assistant fire chief $251,500 in compensatory damages. ELS jointly litigated this case with the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.