A wrongful-termination case filed by Atlanta’s former fire chief can proceed, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May was asked by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and the City of Atlanta to throw out the case filed by Kelvin Cochran. But Judge May granted most of Mr. Cochran’s motions, including his primary claims of unconstitutional retaliation; discrimination based on his viewpoint; and violation of his rights to freedom of religion, association and due process.
Judge May also favored the city by dismissing three of Mr. Cochran’s motions on 14th Amendment protections, and releasing Mr. Reed from three of the charges filed against him.
A court hearing date has yet to be set. Mr. Cochran, an evangelical Christian and church deacon as well as decorated fire chief, was fired Jan. 6, after a 30-day unpaid suspension. Mr. Cochran sued the city and its mayor, saying the government fired him because it didn’t like the views he expressed in a self-published book, “Who Told You That You Were Naked? Overcoming the Stronghold of Condemnation.”