ATLANTA — Atlanta’s former fire chief has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Atlanta and Mayor Kasim Reed.
Only Channel 2 Action News obtained a copy of the lawsuit Thursday afternoon.
We were first to report in November that the city suspended Kelvin Cochran after he published a faith-based book on sexual ethics that sharply criticized homosexuality.
"I was fired simply because of what I believe," Cochran said Wednesday, "I cannot allow this unjust act towards me to go unchallenged, and I will not be passive and leave this fight for someone else."
Cochran told Channel 2’s Dave Huddleston in January 2015 that he had given the mayor a copy of the book one year prior.
Sources in City Hall told Huddleston in January that Cochran was going to be fired, not for writing the book, but for not going through proper channels to do it in the first place.
“Not one time during the course of preparing this book did the chief ever think it was appropriate to have a conversation with me,” Reed told Channel 2 Action News.
Reed, surrounded by members of his administration, including city officials some who are part of the LGBT community, said he fired Cochran for bad judgment, not for writing the book which calls homosexuality a perversion.
“Let’s stop trying to make this about religious freedom, when it's about making sure we have an environment in government where everyone can come to work,” Reed said.
After he was terminated, Cochran told reporters he received permission from the city's ethics department to write the book and in fact he sent a copy to the mayor's office, giving it to the mayor's assistant.
Cochran says, he asked the mayor about it in January 2014.
“He had confirmed he had received it and that he was going to read it,” Cochran said.
The mayor's office is adamant he knew nothing about the book until it’s publication.
"Every single person either asked for the book, or willingly accepted it, so there's no violation, there's no forcing of any beliefs on anyone. No one had to take the book in the first place and certainly no one had to read it," Cochran said.
Cochran says he did have permission to write the book, but he did not get it in writing.
Reed maintains he fired Cochran for poor judgement, not because of his faith.
"It would take the United States Supreme Court ordering me for Kelvin Cochran to get his job back, because I know I made the right decision," Reed said.
Reed's office released the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
"Mr. Cochran was informed at the time of his suspension that he had failed to receive the required approvals pursuant to the City Code in seeking to engage in an outside income-producing venture. He was also informed that the issue was not the religious nature of his book, but the fact that he was espousing theories in the workplace about certain groups of people that were in conflict with the City's nondiscrimination policy.
He was further informed that there was an issue with his espousing these beliefs while identifying himself as the Atlanta Fire Chief. Finally, Mr. Cochran was informed that distributing the book to members of his command staff in the workplace was improper and risked sending a message to his staffers that they were expected to embrace his beliefs.
The religious nature of his book is not the reason he is no longer employed by the City of Atlanta. The totality of his conduct—including the way he handled himself during his suspension after he agreed not to make public comments during the investigation—reflected poor judgment and failure to follow clearly defined work protocols.
The City of Atlanta remains a place where all people, including those who share Mr. Cochran's beliefs, are equally valued and respected. However, religious beliefs cannot shield any employee from the consequences of poor judgment and insubordination.
The City will vigorously defend its actions in any legal proceedings brought by Mr. Cochran and is confident that the decision to terminate Mr. Cochran was both the right thing to do and fully legal."