NEW YORK — The widow of an FDNY lieutenant won an estimated $3 million payout after a judge ruled that “shocking and unconscionable” actions by the city denied the firefighter’s pension.
NY Post reported that Jackie Kaht Fernandez spent nine years fighting the FDNY’s pension board to prove that the sudden death of her husband, Lt. Cruz Fernandez, in 2006 was related to his time spent at Ground Zero.
“The word ‘no’ is not in my vocabulary,” Fernandez said.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Daniel Velasquez ripped the city for not siding with Fernandez sooner and said it operated in “bad faith.”
Lt. Fernandez retired in November 2002 after 24 years of service. His wife said he was feeling run down and having trouble catching his breath. He was 52 when he died.