Paramedic Awarded Money in Bias Suit

A state police paramedic, who said he was denied parental leave, was a victim of discrimination because he’s a man, a federal jury in Baltimore ruled in awarding him $375,000 in damages. Kevin Knussman, 41, claimed that he was deprived of his 14th Amendment right to equal protection and was illegally denied 12 weeks of leave guaranteed by the Family Leave Act. Knussman, who claimed he was told only mothers are considered “primary care givers,” said he was his newborn daughter’s primary care giver because his wife was near death from childbirth complications.