A federal district court decision issued earlier this year in favor of Genoa Township, Ohio, in a firefighter hearing-loss discrimination case has now been docketed with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The appeal follows a February 13, 2026 ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio granting summary judgment to Genoa Township and dismissing firefighter/EMT Jeffrey Kibler’s claims under the ADA and Ohio disability discrimination law.
Kibler had worked for Genoa Township as a firefighter/EMT from 2001 until 2021. He began using a hearing aid in his right ear in 2002 and a second hearing aid in 2006, performing full firefighting duties while wearing them. According to the court, department leadership, including Fire Chief Joseph Ponzi, knew he wore hearing aids, and no hearing-related operational incidents were identified during those years.