Paramedic claims the city of Stuart fired him because of his military service

An Iowa paramedic is suing the city of Stuart, claiming the city demoted and fired him because of the costs associated with his service in the National Guard.

Luke Dahl of Adair County is suing the city in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. He says he joined the Iowa Army National Guard in 2009 and is currently serving as an Army flight medic in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter for a unit stationed in Waterloo.

The lawsuit alleges that Dahl began working for the city as a full-time paramedic in November 2016 and that his ongoing military service required him to attend drills two to three days a month and trains for an additional two weeks each year.

In 2022, Dahl was promoted to assistant director of the city’s emergency medical services department but was not offered health insurance benefits that were provided to other full-time city employees, the lawsuit says.

On May 20, 2024, the lawsuit says, his supervisor, EMS Director Sean Bovinett, allegedly invited Dahl to a meeting on Dahl’s day off and said his budget was a “shame” because Dahl was an employee who take time off for military training.

According to the lawsuit, Bovinett said that because of Dahl’s military service obligations, he intended to demote Dahl and change his pay from salary to hourly.

Dahl claims he complained to City Manager Ashraf Ashour, arguing the plan was illegal under provisions of the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The lawsuit alleges the city pushed ahead with the plan and demoted Dahl, eliminated the deputy director position and promoted a part-time paramedic who did not serve in the military to emergency services coordinator.

The lawsuit alleges that the city fired Dahl on June 25, with Mayor Dick Cook and Bovinett telling Dahl that he was fired for mishandling patient information, responding to emergency calls while working as a paramedic in the was on duty, and because there were discrepancies in time recording or scheduling. The lawsuit alleges that the reasons for the firing were sham and that Dahl was actually fired “because of his military service.”

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

City attorney Janice Thomas could not be reached for comment Monday.

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This article originally appeared in the Des Moines Register: Iowa paramedic claims city fired him due to military obligations