Judge: Firefighter's family should get full death pension

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. (AP) - A Lake County judge has ruled that the family of a Chicago-area firefighter should receive his pension, upholding a review board's decision that his fatal cancer was caused in the line of duty.

Lake County Circuit Court Judge Diane Winter ruled Tuesday in favor of the family of firefighter Kevin Hauber, who died in January 2018 after a colon cancer diagnosis. Two medical experts found Hauber's death was likely related to his job, which involves repeated exposure to toxic smoke and carcinogens.

The Buffalo Grove Fire Department Pension Board said Hauber's family should receive a full line-of-duty death pension. Village officials appealed, citing their "fiduciary responsibility" to taxpayers. They also said more evidence was needed that the 51-year-old's cancer was the result of 23 years firefighting.

A village attorney declined to say if Buffalo Grove officials were planning to appeal Tuesday's ruling.