CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — A firefighter fired over gender discrimination was hired back two years after filing a lawsuit.
Firefighter Donna Kessler, who worked for the Monarch Fire Protection District for almost 20 years, says she was treated differently because she was a woman, KSDK reported.
“I was just threatened and told to stay away from the boys,” firefighter Kessler said.
She filed a case in court and won. When the department appealed, the judge called the district’s working environment “abusive,” according to the report.
“That’s when I thought everything would get better. I thought our department really made strides to correct this issue,” Kessler said.
Four people were fired after the suit, but one of the men fired was re-hired as the assistant chief.
“This is somebody who has threatened me before. And now he’s going to be directly in charge of my safety,” Kessler said.