These cases, brought under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, challenged D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department rules prohibiting beards and long hair on behalf of a dozen Department members who wear beards or long hair as a matter of religious observance. We obtained a preliminary injunction in 2001 and, after much litigation, a permanent injunction in 2007. In 2009 the court of appeals affirmed, agreeing that the Fire Department had not carried its burden of showing that its rules were the least restrictive means of serving the District’s compelling interest in safety.
We then sought back pay and damages. After years of further litigation, those claims were settled in late 2013. Our clients received $550,000 and we received a substantial payment amount of fees.
