STATE COURT SAYS ROCK HILL FIRE FIGHTER CAN BE FIRED FOR GETTING MARRIED

ROCK HILL, SC – State Court Judge John C. Hayes has ruled that Matt Cooper, an exemplary fire fighter with the Rock Hill Fire Department, can be fired for getting married to the daughter of a captain in the same department. Represented by IAFF General Counsel Tom Woodley, Cooper had received a 10-Day Temporary Restraining Order on July 25 from Judge Hayes, but that decision has been dissolved and the plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction has been denied.

Despite the adverse decision, the Judge noted that all of his findings and rulings "are solely based on the limited record currently before the court and none are binding on either party for any purpose or reason beyond the court's ruling herein." Therefore, based on the ruling, Cooper will pursue further litigation to keep his position.

“The IAFF is very disappointed with this decision to allow such an intrusion into the personal lives of the people by their government,” said Harold Schaitberger, President of the International Association of Fire Fighters. “Rock Hill will lose an excellent, committed fire fighter because of an anti-family policy that should not be allowed to stand. We will keep fighting for Matt Cooper by pursuing every legal angle possible to get his job back.”

The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, DC, represents more than 270,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect 80 percent of the nation’s population. More than 2,900 affiliates protect nearly 6,000 communities in Canada and in every state in the U.S. More information is available at www.iaff.org .

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