Fire Lieutenant Samod Rankins is suing the City of New Haven after alleging that the fire department refused to let him return to work after being injured in a fire nearly two years ago.
The lawsuit, obtained by NBC Connecticut, states that Rankins was critically injured while battling a fire that killed 30-year-old Ricardo Torres Jr. on May 12, 2021. Rankins sustained injuries to his back, right foot, internal organs, eyes, and lungs. He also claims to have Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the incident.
After getting the all-clear from his doctors to return to work in November 2022, Fire Chief John Alston and Assistant Fire Chief Justin McCarthy "neglected and refused to return [Rankins] to work," the lawsuit states.
Rankins alleges that he provided medical notes and reports from all of his work-related injury providers to fire department officials and their legal representation. All of the reports indicated that Rankins was "cleared to return to work without restrictions," according to the lawsuit.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
The lieutenant states that he took a promotional exam for the position of captain and placed fourth on the promotional list. In the lawsuit, he alleges that the fire department wouldn't promote him and "skipped over him in favor of lower-ranked candidates." Rankins said the department's failure to promote him will affect his seniority and pension rights.
The lawsuit says the Board of Fire Commission passed over Rankins twice for promotion, claiming that he isn't medically cleared to return to work.
According to the lawsuit, Rankins seeks to return to work, get promoted, get his seniority restored, pension adjusted, and more. The lawsuit was filed on March 20, 2023.
Local
The City of New Haven provided the following statement regarding the lawsuit:
“Given the pending litigation, the City of New Haven cannot comment on the substance of the lawsuit at this time, but Lieutenant Rankins service as a New Haven firefighter is to be commended and the fire department looks forward to him returning to work at the appropriate time.”
The firefighter's union Local 825 has filed a Municipal Prohibited Practice with the State of Connecticut Labor Board claiming Rankins was in fact eligible for testing and promotion.
The lieutenant also filed a complaint alleging discrimination based on race and discrimination. His lawyer says Rankins was the only African American candidate out of the 10 lieutenants eligible for promotion.
