Crime & Safety

Monarch Fire District Sued By Former Chiefs Over Firings

The plaintiffs in suit filed this week were identified in a sex discrimination lawsuit against the district.

Three now-former senior officers at the Monarch Fire Protection District have reportedly filed suit against the agency over their firings in the wake of an  employment discrimination lawsuit which came back with an appellate verdict against the district earlier this year.

Four female district employees sued the district and identified Leslie Crews, Cary Spiegel and Michael Davis in the suit. Two of the plaintiffs were awarded damages. After the appellate court ruling, the Monarch board removed the trio and a fourth, battallon chief Fred Goodson.

The suit on behalf of Leslie Crews, Cary Spiegel, and Michael Davis was first reported by KSDK-TV Thursday.

Find out what's happening in Creve Coeurwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Monarch's Board met Thursday night and after a closed session, announced it had voted to "refer the case for counsel and defense." Board President Kim Evans said she only learned of the suit Thursday afternoon and declined further comment until a possible statement by the district Friday.

During the open portion of the meeting, which also saw the board hear from a bond underwriter about the possibility of putting a no-tax increase bond on the April ballot, and approve a $10.4 million 2012 budget, board members heard from members of the public who said the firings smacked of political cronyism and moral corruption, while still others said previous board members did not take necessary steps to properly address the grievances sooner.

Find out what's happening in Creve Coeurwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A message left late Thursday with the attorney representing the former chiefs was not returned.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Creve Coeur