Former Lincoln firefighter’s gender discrimination lawsuit goes to trial

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - A former Lincoln firefighter’s gender discrimination lawsuit is going to trial.

The lawsuit has been hung up in federal court over the last five years, but a judge ruled last week that the case will be heading to trial in less than a month.

Amanda Benson said she was faced with a hostile work environment, primarily by Captain Shawn Mahler, and was later retaliated against for complaining about it to her superiors.

Benson argued that Mahler constantly discouraged her and treated her differently than her male coworkers. At one point in 2014, she accused him of telling her not to rotate onto the firetruck because “typically women are less mechanically minded than men.”

She asked to leave Station 8 two years later, saying she “did not feel safe.” She was fired back in 2021 after LFR said Benson falsely accused Mahler of walking away from her crew during a warehouse fire.

The city argued the case should be dismissed, but a federal judge ruled last week that Benson’s allegations were enough to warrant a jury trial.

A 10-day trial on the matter is scheduled for Sept. 12 in Omaha.