Court documents in a lawsuit filed against the city of Conway and Conway Fire Department reflect one man’s struggle to be promoted in the fire service after a former co-worker, who now serves as chief, mentioned he was “defiant” in the past. That description cost him a promotion, Larry Carter says in a second lawsuit against his former employer that alleges the department breached a settlement agreement that required he get a “neutral employment reference.” But the city says Conway Fire Chief Le Hendrick wasn’t providing a reference when he told Carter’s new boss that CFD had trouble with him in the past.