San Francisco Firefighter Awarded $6 Million Settlement After Wrench Attack and Departmental Retaliation

A veteran San Francisco firefighter has been awarded a $6 million settlement after filing a lawsuit against the city following a wrench attack by a colleague and subsequent alleged retaliation from department leadership. Gabriel Shin, 56, was attacked outside his Oakland home in February 2022 by fellow firefighter Robert Muhammad, who allegedly used a 15-inch wrench to strike Shin.

Shin's lawsuit, filed in 2023, reached a settlement after approval by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. A neighbor told police they witnessed a man strike Shin with a wrench across his face and both arms. Medical evaluations determined Shin sustained a broken left arm, a swollen right arm, and a concussion from the assault. Shin and Muhammad had known each other for over 20 years, working together in the San Francisco Fire Department. According to testimonies from other department employees, the confrontation may have stemmed from a prior conversation Shin had concerning Muhammad's late daughter, who had died by suicide. Shin testified that Muhammad appeared to be in a mental health crisis during the incident.

Court documents indicated that Muhammad allegedly accessed Shin's address in the department's database using a superior colleague's password before going to Shin's home. Shin's attorney, James Torres, stated that Muhammad had a history of aggression toward colleagues and superiors that had gone unaddressed for over a decade. Following the lawsuit's filing, Shin reported that his health insurance was terminated and his pay stopped. He alleged that Muhammad, meanwhile, was placed on paid leave, continued to receive his salary, and was assigned to a less demanding role at a department training facility.

Shin claimed these actions were intended to silence him and punish whistleblowers. He alleged that department leaders turned against him, discouraging him from pursuing criminal charges. Despite obtaining a criminal protective order against Muhammad, Shin's request for a workplace restraining order was denied. Shin also stated in the lawsuit that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and did not receive adequate accommodations. Communication from department leaders reportedly ceased in April 2022.

Text messages revealed in court records showed San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson referring to Shin as a "drama queen" in response to his allegations. Nicholson and former Deputy Chief of Operations Robert Postel discussed details of the attack and Muhammad's arrest. "A bunch of bulls***," Nicholson reportedly wrote in one message. Postel responded, "Muhammad never bothered a soul until Gabe." Nicholson allegedly replied, "Yep. Gabe has an a**hole attorney and is acting like a drama queen."

Muhammad was not formally disciplined until he was fired last year, approximately three years after the assault. The specific reasons for his termination remain unclear. The settlement came after the judge assigned to the case, Vince Chhabria, sharply criticized the city's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit earlier this year. "There is plenty of evidence that officials at the Fire Department harassed Shin and retaliated against him for his understandable desire to press charges," Judge Chhabria stated, according to court documents. "It’s difficult to understand how these officials could have thought their conduct in protecting Muhammad and disfavoring Shin was justified. It’s even more difficult to imagine a jury reaching that conclusion."

A spokesperson for the city's attorney's office told The San Francisco Chronicle that the proposed settlement is an appropriate resolution given the costs of continued litigation.