A jury awarded $250,000 in damages to Maggie Lawrence, a longtime employee of the Nashville Fire Department after a discrimination lawsuit.
According to WKRN News, Lawrence claimed that she was discriminated against under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Age Discrimination Act of 1967.
Lawrence had served with the Nashville Fire Department for more than 30 years, rising through the ranks to Deputy Fire Marshal.
According to court documents, Lawrence was preparing to become NFD’s first female Fire Marshal, when Chief Willian Swann reassigned a younger, less experienced male employee from another department to the position.
Swann also allegedly ordered Lawrence and her boss, Fire Marshal Al Thomas, to train the new employee.
When Thomas argued that Lawrence was a more qualified candidate, he was fired.
WKRN reports that in 2022, Lawrence reportedly filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) but was informed “the agency was not able to resolve the controversy.” She was granted the right to sue on June 6, 2022.
A jury ruled in favor of Lawrence and awarded her $250,000 in damages.
