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Female firefighter at center of revenge porn scandal seeks to sue Las Vegas Fire and Rescue

Gov't shutdown stalls civil lawsuit filing
Female firefighter at center of revenge porn scandal seeks to sue Las Vegas Fire and Rescue
Female firefighter at center of revenge porn scandal seeks to sue Las Vegas Fire and Rescue
Female firefighter at center of revenge porn scandal seeks to sue Las Vegas Fire and Rescue
Female firefighter at center of revenge porn scandal seeks to sue Las Vegas Fire and Rescue
Female firefighter at center of revenge porn scandal seeks to sue Las Vegas Fire and Rescue
Posted at 10:25 PM, Jan 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-11 02:49:14-05

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The City of Las Vegas and its fire department will likely face a sexual harassment lawsuit from a female firefighter who claims a sexually explicit video of her was passed around her co-workers but the partial federal government shutdown has put everything on hold.

Jenny Foley, the attorney representing the female firefighter, said she is poised to file as soon as the political stalemate in Washington, D.C. is resolved.

"It is my understanding the city has concluded its investigation, or nearly done so, my client is going to pursue her rights to sue," said Foley.

13 Action News first reported the scandal in Oct. 2018 after obtaining documents revealing high-ranking officials within Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, including the Chief and firefighter union president, were put on notice to preserve any and all evidence that may contain value for a potential lawsuit.

"We are at the point where we are about to file suit, but we can't as of yet, because we can't get the letter that we need from the EEOC, because they are shut down," explained Foley.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency more commonly known as the EEOC, needs to give approval to sue for sexual harassment claims under Title 7 rules, according to Foley.

"There is a distinct possibility that if this goes longer, every civil case could get shut down," said Foley.

According to the EEOC, there are protections for employees from a variety of sexual situations including unwelcome sexual advances and requests for sexual favors.

The harassment must be so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile work environment.

A spokesperson for the City of Las Vegas said due to the threat of litigation, the city would not comment on the situation.

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