A federal judge has dismissed a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a Black former fire recruit against Clark County Fire District 6.
According to the complaint, filed in September 2023 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Elijah Page was the only Black recruit in his fire academy class at Fire District 6 when he was hired in April 2022. During a break in a knot-tying training at the department’s Salmon Creek station, a white recruit fashioned a rope into a noose, sneaked up behind Page, threw the noose over Page’s neck and tightened it, the complaint alleged.
Page told the white recruit he was deeply offended by the incident, which occurred in front of the other recruits, and felt emotionally devastated and outraged, the complaint stated. None of his classmates did anything to stop it, the complaint alleged, some even apparently viewing the incident as a joke.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge David G. Estudillo previously dismissed Page’s claims of hate crime and battery but declined to dismiss other claims, including disparate treatment and hostile work environment.
In November, the judge issued another decision dismissing the remaining claims against the fire district of discrimination, disparate treatment, hostile work environment, wrongful discharge, outrage and emotional distress.
Estudillo wrote that evidence in the case showed the white recruit acted alone, and there was no evidence the fire district knew he was going to put the rope around Page’s neck. He also wrote that the fire district placed the white recruit on administrative leave that afternoon, escorted him off of department property and terminated his employment within two days of the incident.
The judge also wrote that fire district administrators’ instructions that the group of recruits not discuss the incident did not preclude Page from seeking counseling or reporting the incident to law enforcement, court records show.
Last month, the judge further dismissed the federal claims against the individual recruit after finding that he was not in a supervisory role over Page as required by the federal claims. The judge declined to maintain jurisdiction over the state-level claims against the recruit, suggesting that county Superior Court was the proper venue for those allegations, and closed the federal case.
Page’s attorney, Angus Lee, said in an emailed statement that he disagrees with the judge’s rulings and is considering their options moving forward.
A statement from the fire district said it was “vindicated” by the judge’s ruling. The district wrote that it recognizes Page “experienced an impactful event on the districts’ property by a third party.” But it said administrators acted swiftly and provided resources to Page.
“We look forward to continuing to do what we do best: Providing quality care for the people who call this place home. We will continue to serve with professionalism, dedication and compassion to all those in need, and we thank our citizens for their unyielding support,” the statement says.
Fire District 6 serves a large area of unincorporated Clark County, including Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek.
