Asian American sues Plainfield deputy fire chief over alleged racist COVID-19 comments
PLAINFIELD – A Fanwood man is suing a Plainfield Fire Department official and the city over claims he was the victim of discrimination because of comments made to him about COVID-19.
Timothy Burkhard, who is Asian American, filed a lawsuit against Plainfield and Deputy Fire Chief Pietro Martino, after Martino made discriminatory comments about Burkhard's ethnicity and the coronavirus, according to the lawsuit.
Burkhard, who was hired as a firefighter at the Plainfield Fire Department in July 2018, filed his lawsuit in Union County Superior Court in July. The case was dismissed but was later reinstated by Union County Superior Court Judge Mark Ciarrocca on Sept. 11.
In March, Martino began to make "racist comments about Asians" to Burkhard during the fire department's training on COVID-19, according to the lawsuit.
Read more: https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/courts/2020/09/23/plainfield-nj-official-sued-over-alleged-racist-covid-19-comments/5864524002/