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• Man says he was fired for complaining about judge smoking 

A former Bucks County employee said he was fired from his job last year because he complained about a county judge smoking in his courthouse office, a federal lawsuit alleges.

But the defendant in the civil suit, the county's court administrator, said the county employee was fired for poor job performance, according to subsequent court filings.

Douglas Praul, the court administrator, also denied having any knowledge of county Judge Alan Rubenstein smoking in county offices, according to court records.

James Frederick, a former supervisor of domestic relations officers, filed the suit in U.S. district court in Philadelphia in August. The suit alleges that Frederick's right to free speech was violated because he complained about the smoking in a county building, a matter of public concern. . . .

There is a no-smoking ban in all county buildings. Frederick allegedly sent a memo to a supervisor complaining about the smoking. That supervisor allegedly told him in response that everyone in the courthouse knew that Rubenstein smoked in the building.

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