Iowa county settles lawsuit with former ambulance director

By Kyle Ocker
Ottumwa Courier

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Iowa — A legal dispute between Jefferson County and its former ambulance director ended Monday with a settlement.

Under the terms of the agreement, former Jefferson County ambulance director Brian Thomas will pay Jefferson County $1 and drop his counterclaim against the county. In exchange, the county dismissed its breach of contract lawsuit against Thomas.

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The settlement agreement was obtained by The Courier through an open records request Friday and required Thomas to make a series of admissions.

In the signed agreement, Thomas acknowledges that his resignation from the Jefferson County Ambulance Service was voluntary, that media statements he made about Jefferson County and its officials were inaccurate or incomplete, and that he had interactions with co-workers that could have been viewed as contrary to the Jefferson County Employee Handbook.

Thomas was hired as Jefferson County’s first ambulance director in April 2023. He resigned in April 2024 under a separation agreement in which the county paid him $23,379.13 in salary, insurance benefits and accrued vacation through July 12, 2024. In return, Thomas agreed not to file legal claims against the county related to his employment or departure.

Thomas later filed complaints with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Iowa Public Information Board. The county characterized those filings as a material breach of the separation agreement and sued Thomas for breach of contract in May 2025.

Thomas responded with a counterclaim seeking $75,000, alleging defamation, loss of employment, emotional distress and reputational harm. In court filings, he argued his original resignation had been coerced and made under duress, and he sought to compel the county to release an audio recording of his April 17, 2024, meeting with county officials that he contended would support his position. The county declined to release the recording, citing attorney-client privilege.

The settlement agreement states that neither party is a prevailing party and that the agreement does not constitute an admission of liability by either side. Thomas is barred from seeking future employment or appointment with Jefferson County.

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