A diabetic Indiana woman who lost her job as a fire department paramedic has settled a federal discrimination lawsuit with the township for $725,000, marking what is likely the largest amount awarded in the state under the Americans with Disabilities Act for someone with diabetes.
Kristine Rednour, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 12, brought legal action against the Wayne Township Fire Department after she was fired in 2011 because of "medical events" caused by her illness, according to her complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. In her suit, Rednour alleged the termination violated her civil rights under the ADA.
"On behalf of Ms. Rednour, (the settlement) couldn't have come at a happier time," said Kevin Betz, of the Indianapolis law firm Betz and Blevins, which represented Rednour.
"(It) was the result of many, many years of diligence and hard pursuit of a goal to prove a point, in the end, about the simple fact that individuals with disabilities — and particularly with diabetes — can work in emergency settings and should be allowed to work in emergency settings, and should not be prohibited from doing so."