A former Dallas firefighter says he shouldn’t repay $127,441 the city kept sending him after he resigned and moved to Florida.
DALLAS — A trial date has been set for a civil suit filed by the city of Dallas against a former firefighter who reportedly received $127,441 in payments after resigning from his position.
Court documents show a non-jury trial date has been set in this civil suit for May 25, 2027.
The city is seeking repayment, but in court filings the former firefighter says he shouldn’t have to pay the money back and is asking Dallas to cover his attorney’s fees.
In court filings, Ivan Gonzales, the former firefighter, claims the person who processed his payroll records after he resigned should be included in the suit.
Gonzales worked for the city between July 2022 and June 2023, when he resigned, the original lawsuit states. He eventually moved to Florida but kept getting payments from the city, documents say.
City officials didn’t realize the error until April 2025 when they processed Gonzales’ termination paperwork. According to previous WFAA coverage, city officials say this was an isolated incident.
WFAA has reached out to Gonzales’ attorney but has not received a response as of Monday evening.