Former East Liverpool cop settles pay lawsuit over K-9 care
East Liverpool has settled a lawsuit alleging the city failed to pay him overtime while caring for a police dog, according to court records.
Former officer Christopher Green sued the city for $130,000 in late 2021 claiming that he should have been paid overtime during his time as a canine officer for caring for the dog during his off-hours.
A document filed in the U.S. District Court states that Green has settled with city officials and other defendants.
Green alleges that while he was off-duty, he was responsible for caring for the dog in his home seven days a week 365 days a year taking 1.5 hours per day on days he was assigned to work and 3.5 hours per day when not assigned to work.
The suit claimed that the activities took at least 14.5 additional hours per week.
Green alleged that the city violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Ohio Minimum Wage Standards by not paying him for time worked more than 40 hours in the workweek and not recording his time and earnings records.
Green was fired from the department in July of 2021 and had been on paid administrative leave since March of 2021 following the review of how he had handled a police call for a fight in February.
The court filing does not disclose the amount of the settlement, which won't be finalized until it is approved by East Liverpool City Council and the money is in Green's bank account. The city has two months to comply with terms of the agreement.