Mount Prospect Reaches $350,000 Settlement With Longtime Firefighter

A whistleblowing Mount Prospect firefighter who served the community for 25 years will retire at the end of March with $350,000 after the village board March 7 approved a settlement agreement ending a federal lawsuit he filed against the village for alleged inappropriate behavior in the fire department.

Lt. Steven Edwards will retire March 31 after village attorneys and representatives of the Intergovernmental Risk Management Agency (IRMA), the village's insurance carrier, participated in a litigation mediation March 1 with Edwards and his attorneys.

The 10-hour process resulted in a settlement of all pending claims against the village, which included current and former village employees.

In addition to receiving $350,000, the village is also forgiving a $1,616 payroll advance Edwards received years ago who will receive a positive email sendoff to all fire department team members.

Edwards filed a federal lawsuit Aug. 22 in the U.S. District Court against the village, former Fire Chief Brian Lambel, Chief John Dolan, Battalion Fire Chief Aaron Grandgeorge, and Director of Human Resources Heidi Neu claiming a "hostile, vulgar, and sexually offensive work culture created by the fire department and facilitated by fire leadership and human resources" along with "retaliatory actions taken against Edwards after he reported the offense and unlawful work environment."

Edwards said that in March 2020, he started to become increasingly affected by "blatant sexism that permeated" the fire department, and over time, believed the environment had gone from "inappropriate to unlawfully offensive and intolerable."

He stated that members of the fire department, including some in leadership positions, "continuously engaged in unlawful behavior, including viewing pornography in the workplace and engaging in conversations regarding sexual performance and violence."

According to the lawsuit, the "unlawful work environment" allegedly included things such as co-workers ranking female reception and administrative staff to determine who would be the best sexual partner, Grandgeorge and then Lt. Tom Wang (now deputy chief) discussing various sexual acts, some members of the department watching pornography in the workplace, derogatory comments regarding female EMS patients, and discussions within the fire department regarding presumed sexual activities with village staff members.

According to the lawsuit, Edwards suffered lost wages and other benefits, loss of professional opportunities, emotional distress, anxiety, humiliation, and more.

"The village and IRMA carefully weighed the financial and operational risks of a protracted legal battle in the U.S. District Court for the northern district of Illinois and determined a settlement as structured was in the best interests of the village of Mount Prospect," Village Manager Michael Cassady said in a written statement.

The village spent $125,616 on wages and costs associated with the mediation process.

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