Pennsylvania City Contesting $207K Verdict in Arson Firing Case

The city of Erie wants a judge to overturn a federal court jury’s $207,000 verdict in favor of a firefighter who claimed she was wrongly dismissed following a 2006 suicide attempt in which she set clothes on fire in a bathtub.

The city’s attorneys argue Mary Wolski’s attorneys didn’t present enough evidence to support the verdict. The Erie Times-News says Wolski’s attorneys are expected to file a response to the motion before U.S. District Judge Sean McLaughlin rules.

The jury found Wolski’s firing violated the Americans With Disabilities Act because she was being medicated for depression in December 2006. Wolski was distraught over her mother’s death and set the fire at her father’s vacant home.

The city had argued that arson was a legitimate reason to dismiss a firefighter.