The city of Las Vegas is poised to pay a former fire training officer $90,000 to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit stemming from 2013 recruit testing that gained attention due to cheating allegations.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in 2014, argued that exam proctor Michael D. Jackson was the “fall guy for the defendants’ inability to properly educate and certify a class of firefighter recruits.” Jackson, who is African American, alleged his race was a determining factor in his 2013 firing.
The settlement is on Wednesday’s City Council meeting agenda.
The suit named the city, Maureen Higgins-Teague and Steve Smith as defendants. In addition to racial discrimination, the suit alleges defamation and negligent training, supervision and retention.