You're missing a subtlety. He's a W2 employee of a contracting firm. Most of the work he does is for clients, not his employer directly, and to those clients he is a 1099, not an employee.
He was fired from the contracting firm, for which he was a W2. His status doesn't really factor into this.
He was fired from the contracting firm, for which he was a W2. His status doesn't really factor into this.