Las Vegas settles reverse discrimination lawsuit with former fire official

A former Las Vegas deputy fire chief will receive a $500,000 settlement as the result of a reverse discrimination lawsuit, the City Council decided Wednesday.

The council voted 6-0 to approve the settlement for Ken Riddle, who was fired in 2006 by former fire chief David Washington.

Riddle, who is white, sued the city claiming reverse discrimination by Washington, who is black.

According to the lawsuit, Washington wanted to fill more high level positions with black firefighters and wrongly ousted Riddle.

The city argued the firing was legitimate, saying Riddle had a track record of breaking city rules against smoking while on city property.

In August a jury agreed with Riddle and awarded him $390,000 for lost pay, benefits and punitive damages. The vote Wednesday authorized payment of the court-ordered settlement plus attorney fees, which had to be negotiated.

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.