Orlando asks for reversal of decision on fired firefighter

was “explicitly based on a misunderstanding.” Stokes wrongly said in his decision that Granada, who was charged with two felonies, had not been charged criminally.

In the suit, Mark Levitt, an attorney representing Orlando, said Stokes did not respond to the city’s request to reconsider, which alone is grounds to vacate his arbitration decision.

If Circuit Judge John Marshall Kest decides not to reverse Stokes’ decision, Levitt asked that the judge replace the arbitrator with one who will rule on its October request.

An attorney for Orlando Professional Fire Fighters Local 1365, which was named as defendant in the suit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the city’s court petition, Levitt claimed Stokes “ignored undisputed evidence” that Granada had faced criminal charges for recording Hill in 2017 while responding to a medical call at her hotel room and instead “concocted his own version of the facts out of thin air.”

By awarding Granada his job with back pay, Stokes also went against city rules, which prohibit employees with pending felony charges from working at OFD, Levitt said.

Stokes’ arbitration decision reversed Granada’s firing and instead imposed a 240-hour suspension, concluding he violated a 2009 department memo requiring employees to get permission before making recordings.

Stokes did not immediately return a phone call to his office.

Granada faced charges after the Aug. 27, 2017 incident at a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, where his crew encountered Hill lying on the floor inside a room. While assessing her, Granada said Hill became “belligerent and uncooperative” and at one point told a firefighter to “get your hands off me.”

Granada said during an arbitra