Should police officers and firefighters be permitted to sue people they encounter in the line of duty for negligent acts? That was the question posed in a recent lawsuit against a Clinton homeowner.

According to the plaintiff's lawyers, the trial judge's decision to strike the claim of an injured police officer is the latest in a series of ruling that have led to the expansion of the “firefighter's rule,” which limits such lawsuits. The attorneys promised an appeal.

If police officers can't bring a claim against a negligent third party when they are injured, it would “lead to fewer police officers engaging in dangerous situations for fear of injury,” Jonathan Cantor of the Law Offices of Gerald Sack in Hartford wrote in court briefs. “The taxpayer would bear the cost of an injured police officer's inability to bring a claim against a negligent party.”