Suspension and firing
Cochran was suspended for 30 days without pay starting November 24,2014,for distributing to employees a book he had written,Who Told You That You Were Naked?,which expressed Cochran's religious views which included calling homosexuality and lesbianism a perversion and which mayor Kasim Reed considered to be discriminatory against LGBT people. [4] On January 6,2015,after returning from the suspension,he was informed that he would have to resign or be terminated. [5] [6]
A rally was held in Atlanta on January 13 in support of Cochran,with various leaders of faith attending including Bishop Wellington Boone,president of the Fellowship of International Churches. [7]
Deputy Chief Joel Baker has replaced Cochran as the active fire chief of Atlanta Fire Department. [8]
On February 18,2015,a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia,Atlanta Division,and heard by Judge Leigh Martin May. [9] The suit,brought by Cochran and represented by Alliance Defending Freedom—a legal advocacy group known for religious liberty cases—alleged racial discrimination by the City of Atlanta.
A petition to dismiss the case was filed on March 25 but was denied by Judge May. [10] On October 14,she indicated a ruling was forthcoming. [11] On December 16,2015,Judge May ruled that the lawsuit could proceed. [12]
$1.2 million payout by City of Atlanta
On December 20,2017,Judge May upheld his firing and also ruled that as an "at-will" employee,his firing was legal. However,the judge noted that "rules cited in Cochran’s dismissal that require city employees to get pre-clearance for outside employment could stifle speech unconstitutionally and also failed to define the standards to be used when judging a potential conflict of interest." Later,the City of Atlanta agreed to settle saying they’d,"conducted an extensive review of the facts and the law and concluded that the cost of continuing to defend against the lawsuit would far exceed the cost to settle.”The $1.2 million includes a settlement and attorneys’fees. [13]
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