Ridgewood May 16, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 7 Firefighter’s award cut after judge hears appeal by John Koster Superior Court Judge Menelaos Toskos has cut the amount of the award Ridgewood firefighter Kevin Reilly will ultimately receive for two incidents in which the 44year-old firefighter said he was sent into action with improper equipment. Reilly also claimed he was passed over for a promotion after he reported the safety violations. In January, a Superior Court jury voted 6-0 to give Reilly the $3.5 million he had requested based on emotional distress. That amount has now been reduced to $500,000 following the Municipal Excess Liability Joint Insurance Fund appeal presented by Christopher Botta, Esq. Judge Toskos found that the original award was too large, even if the mistakes of the former chief and deputy were established during the first trial. In his ruling, Judge Toskos called the $3.5 million jury award a “shocking verdict.” He said $500,000 was the highest amount that could be supported by the evidence in the case. Reilly claimed he was passed over for a promotion he felt he merited because he reported a former fire chief and former deputy fire chief for safety violations. An informed source claimed that the promotion Reilly had sought was given to a more qualified candidate. Reilly’s case, which originated in 2007 and 2009, was based on two incidents. The two fire officers mentioned in the lawsuit are no longer employed in the Ridgewood Fire Department. Reilly is still on the job at the department. Reilly charged that, in 2007, he and his fellow firefighters responded to a complaint of an unknown material leaking at Valley Hospital. Reilly said he believed the fire chief who was then serving the department should have called in hazardous material specialists to clean up the mess, but instead ordered the firefighters to clean it. Reilly said he believed his report to the chief and the deputy chief interfered with what he saw as a warranted promotion to fire lieutenant about a year later. Reilly also said that, in a January 2009 incident, he responded to a house fire on Woodside Street and the deputy chief sent him into the fire even though his air supply was low. The low air alarm reportedly went off while Reilly was inside the building. Reilly said the former deputy chief ordered him to leave the building when the air alarm went off, but took his flashlight and radio, leaving him without safety equipment while he was inside the building. Reilly added that his reports of these incidents not only interfered with his promotion to lieutenant, but also resulted in poor reviews.