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Four firefighters who are suing the city after they were ordered to march in this summer’s gay pride parade have asked the city for $750,000 each in compensation, according to two sources close to the proceedings.
The firefighters brought their case earlier this year and are being represented by Charles LiMandri, an attorney for the Thomas More Law Center, a Christian advocacy group. The firefighters claim they were ordered to march in the parade against their will and were subjected to humiliating and obscene comments and gestures.
I spoke with LiMandri earlier on his cell phone, and he told me the first round of mediation had already taken place, but that no settlement had been reached. Asked about the compensation amount his clients are asking for, LiMandri said:
“We haven’t necessarily come up with a definite sum. The city is not talking in terms of reasonable compensation and we need to make sure these guys are compensated for what they went through,” he said.
The $750,000 figure was confirmed by two other people close to the negotiations.
LiMandri said the next mediation meeting will take place next month, and in the meantime he will be moving forward with his civil case against the city.