Fox News Questions New FDNY Investigation into GoFundMe Campaign

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Posted by: Curt Varone 3 hours ago 0 Comments

Fox News is questioning why FDNY is investigating a firefighter who started a fundraising effort to help a suspended deputy chief.

Deputy Chief Paul Mannix was suspended recently for 50-days without pay for his involvement in leaks about unqualified minority firefighters reportedly getting special treatment. Chief Mannix was the moving force behind Merit Matters, a group dedicated to maintaining his merit based standards within FDNY. On July 24, Firefighter Anthony Henry created the GoFundMe campaign to help Chief Mannix pay his bills. In roughly a week, 660 people donated over $40,000.

New Haven Firefighters IAFF Local 825 Vice President Frank Ricci was interviewed by Fox to offer his perspective on the allegations. Frank was the lead plaintiff in the reverse discrimination suit,Ricci v. DeStefano, 557 U.S. 557 (2009), that made it clear that efforts to address race discrimination can themselves cross a line and become discriminatory violating white firefighters’ rights to equal protection.

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ABOUT CURT VARONE

Curt Varone has over 40 years of fire service experience and 30 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.