ATLANTA — The City of Atlanta has agreed to pay a former fire chief $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit alleging religious discrimination.
The City Council voted 11−3 on Oct. 15 to settle all claims in a federal lawsuit filed by Kelvin Cochran, fired as head of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department in 2015 after writing and distributing a self-published book, inspired by a church Bible study, calling homosexuality a “perversion.”
Both sides claimed victory when the decision came down, but the city attorney reportedly advised council members in executive session it was in Atlanta’s “best interest” to settle the claim.
Cochran, a deacon at a Southern Baptist church, was suspended after providing copies of the book to between nine and 12 Christian subordinates before the president of the local firefighter’s union read it and considered some of the passages disturbing.
(Baptist News Global)
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