Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
A former Lincolnwood firefighter who is suing the village’s fire department is now naming his former chief, deputy chief, and battalion chief as defendants in his lawsuit where the ex-firefighter alleges he was harassed, and discriminated and retaliated against for defending a female coworker and reporting what he called a supervisor’s drug use.
A motion to name the three additional defendants was made Oct. 9, as part of the lawsuit Josh Weller first filed Aug. 30, 2017 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.
“Over the course of discovery in this case, particularly through a written answer from (Paramedic Services of Illinois Inc.) provided on June 28, 2018 and depositions at the Village of Lincolnwood on September 27, 2018, as well as related investigation done by plaintiff’s counsel in light of the revelations, plaintiff is now prepared to name three individuals, all senior employees of PSI at the time the comments were made, who he alleges defamed him,” the motion reads.
This latest motion states that an official provided false information about Weller to Chicago Police Department officials when they called to do a background check after Weller applied for a job there. The defendant then bragged about it in public. The officials also falsely accused Weller of threatening to assault a Lincolnwood police officer, the motion alleges.
In a response dated Tuesday, attorneys for PSI wrote that Weller did not state a claim for relief, which would render the allegations futile, among reasons for dismissing the motion. Defense attorneys also wrote in the response that defamation actions are subject to a one-year statute of limitations, which has expired.
In his complaint, Weller says he was employed by PSI starting in October 2010, and the company placed him in Lincolnwood in December 2015, where he worked until he was fired the following July.
In the lawsuit, Weller describes what he called a pattern of harassment.
