By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• Michigan City agreed to a gender discrimination lawsuit settlement with its first female firefighter, according to court filings.
• The lawsuit alleged discriminatory treatment after she was hired in 2018 and later promoted to lieutenant.
• The plaintiff claimed department members subjected her to hostile work conditions and retaliation.
• The city approved a settlement to resolve the case without admitting wrongdoing.
MICHIGAN CITY, IN — Michigan City approved a settlement in a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by the city’s first female firefighter, who alleged she was subjected to discriminatory treatment and retaliation by colleagues and supervisors after joining the fire department in 2018.
City of Jackson Fire Department/Facebook
The plaintiff, who rose to the rank of lieutenant, alleged that department personnel engaged in conduct that created a hostile work environment and that she faced retaliation after reporting concerns to leadership, according to legal filings.
City officials voted in late 2025 to resolve the lawsuit through a settlement, with terms that include monetary compensation to the firefighter and an agreement to end the litigation without any admission of liability.
Representatives for the Michigan City Fire Department and city leadership confirmed the settlement but did not provide specifics on the agreement, citing confidentiality provisions, while saying they are committed to equitable workplace practices.
The case drew attention locally as one of the first high-profile gender discrimination actions involving the department, and the settlement ends the legal dispute pending in state or federal court.