Excerpts from ChicagoTribune.com: A recent court ruling has allowed a lawsuit filed by a former firefighter in Lincolnwood to proceed, though the claim against the village itself has been dismissed. The case, involving Joshua Weller and his allegations of discrimination and retaliation, was addressed by U.S. District Court Judge Charles Kocoras on Wednesday. Weller, who worked as a firefighter/paramedic for Paramedic Services of Illinois Inc. (PSI) in Lincolnwood, claimed that he witnessed a pattern of gender-based discrimination against a female coworker. He alleged that male coworkers engaged in inappropriate behavior, including making explicit comments about her body and spreading rumors about her personal life. The lawsuit was initially filed on August 30, 2017, by attorney Daniel Zemans. The defendants included PSI, the Village of Lincolnwood, and several unnamed individuals. In January 2024, Zemans requested to drop the portion of the suit targeting the village, while keeping the claims against PSI. In his ruling, Judge Kocoras agreed to dismiss the count against the village without prejudice. He also granted partial dismissal of one count against PSI but denied the company’s motion to dismiss six other counts. The judge found that Weller had adequately described the hostile environment in the firehouse, which supported his gender discrimination claims. According to the complaint, after Weller spoke out against the mistreatment and reported a supervisor’s drug abuse, he faced retaliation from male colleagues and superiors. This led to harassment and eventually his termination. Kocoras also dismissed the intentional infliction of emotional distress claim against PSI, stating that the alleged harassment appeared to be motivated by personal gratification rather than business-related conduct. Weller was employed by PSI starting in October 2010 and was placed in Lincolnwood in December 2015, where he worked until he was fired in July 2016. Lincolnwood is one of the few municipalities in Illinois that outsources its firefighting services, with officials citing cost savings on pensions and benefits as a key reason. In his lawsuit, Weller detailed how male coworkers referred to him as the female employee’s “guard dog†and spread false rumors about an affair between them. They also asked invasive questions and sent him explicit messages, further contributing to a toxic work environment. Other Industrial Aluminium Extrusions Other Industrial Aluminium Extrusions,Black Powder Coating Aluminium Profiles,Structural Aluminum Profile,High-Speed Train Aluminium Frame Foshan Modern Copper & Aluminum Extrusion Co.,Ltd. , https://www.fsmodernaluminium.com