Saturday, December 22, 2018 10:19 am
Former Fort Wayne fire chief suing city
Matthew LeBlanc | The Journal Gazette
A former Fort Wayne Fire Department assistant chief is suing the city, alleging racial discrimination led him to resign.
Elbert Starks, who is black, claims in a lawsuit filed Dec. 13 in Allen Superior Court that he "was subjected to racially hostile comments from co-workers which created a hostile work environment." He reported the comments to officials including Fire Chief Eric Lahey and was transferred to another fire station, according to the lawsuit.
A fire captain at the time, Starks resigned his post and accepted a demotion to a lower rank in January to escape the alleged abuse, court documents state. He resigned from the department on Oct. 3, "due to the racial and retaliatory hostility and disability discrimination," a three-page complaint filed by attorney Loren K. Allison states.
The lawsuit seeks damages including back pay, front pay, bonuses, retirement compensation and medical costs.