Columbia settles lawsuit with former firefighter who alleged workplace sexual assault and harassment

A former Columbia firefighter who sued the city alleging he was sexually assaulted and harassed on the job has been awarded $175,000 to settle the lawsuit, according to the settlement agreement.

The State obtained the settlement agreement through a Freedom of Information request.

According to the 2021 lawsuit, the firefighter resigned from the Columbia Fire Department in 2021 after months of sexually charged pranks and harassment by other firefighters at Station 8 on Atlas Road. An internal investigation into the fire station confirmed that the station had an ‘oversexist culture’.

The firefighter’s suit claimed he was held down on his bed while other firefighters tried to remove his clothes, he was cornered in the showers and was verbally abused multiple times for showing his genitals.

The settlement between the fire marshal and the city was signed on September 16. The state is not using the firefighter’s name because he is an alleged victim of sexual assault.

“On behalf of my client, and myself both personally and professionally, we would like to thank the City of Columbia for handling this matter in a professional and emotionally sensitive manner,” wrote attorney Jason Reynolds, one of the attorneys representing the case. firefighter in the suit.

Reynolds thanked Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins and other fire department leadership, as well as the mayor and city council, writing, “I hope that both the city and my client can come out of this better for having come through the experience and holding their heads high.” a job. Well done for resolving this issue appropriately.”

Local attorney Ryan Hicks also represented the firefighter in the case.

The activities at Station 8 came to light after the firefighter left his job in April 2021. He reportedly later wrote in a text message that he “couldn’t take the sexual nonsense anymore,” according to media reports at the time.

“Talking is one thing,” the firefighter reportedly wrote. “But it’s totally different to yank someone out of bed and try to take off their shorts and stuff. …I can’t sit through this for another dinner/evening.”

A 2021 fire station internal affairs investigation found that the first shift at Station 8 had a “substantial leadership failure, which has fostered an oversexualized culture fraught with unacceptable conversations, jokes that far exceed the boundaries of professional behavior, and offensive touching .” .”

After that internal investigation, five people were ultimately fired from the fire department in 2021, including one battalion chief and two captains. The investigation also revealed that several other firefighters had also requested transfers to another station due to the culture at Station 8.

A city spokesperson declined to comment, saying the city does not typically comment on legal settlements.