A longtime Wilmington Fire Department battalion chief has filed a federal lawsuit alleging the City of Wilmington retaliated against him by delaying line-of-duty health benefits after he served as a witness in a discrimination case against the City.
According to the complaint, Dennis Kirlin was employed by the City of Wilmington for approximately 45 years, beginning in 1978 as a firefighter. Over the course of his career, he received multiple promotions and was promoted to Battalion Chief in 2011. Chief Kirlin alleges he consistently received positive evaluations and commendations during his tenure.
The lawsuit traces the dispute back to December 2020, when Chief Kirlin participated as a witness in a disciplinary hearing involving another firefighter. That discipline, according to the complaint, was later challenged as discriminatory. The disciplined firefighter filed discrimination charges with the Delaware Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and ultimately brought a federal lawsuit against the City in June 2022. Chief Kirlin alleges he later served as a witness in that litigation…