Fire Chief’s Victory in Legal Battle | Cincinnati News

The Sixth Circuit Court just ruled that Cincinnati’s City Manager broke the law by firing veteran Fire Chief Michael Washington without a hearing—forcing her to face civil rights and defamation claims. The court upheld that under city charter, Washington had a protected right to his job, and public employees must be given due process before termination. Despite claiming she chose not to grant a hearing, Long admitted legal advice said one was required. The city’s attempt to dismiss the case by citing a vague “unclassified” document failed. This ruling could lead to a jury trial—and it’s fueling a citizen effort to amend the charter, stripping the city manager of power to fire public safety chiefs, aiming to prevent future costly lawsuits like this one. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/6f9d869f295aeb5d