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Thursday, October 06, 2005

Law - Court rules apartments must be fixed to comply with disabilities act

"Court rules apartments must be fixed to comply with disabilities act" was the headline to a story Monday in the Detroit Free Press. Some quotes:

A Farmington Hills apartment developer and several Michigan architectural firms have agreed to retrofit 5,400 ground-floor apartments in 49 complexes in Michigan and six other states to make them handicap accessible.

Edward Rose & Associates of Farmington Hills and several architectural firms agreed to retrofit the apartments under a lawsuit settlement approved Friday by U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts in Detroit.

Besides agreeing to retrofit the apartments, the companies agreed to build future complexes so they comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination in public accommodations.

The settlement resolves two lawsuits filed in federal courts in Detroit and South Bend, Ind., by the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. The defendants included Edward Rose and its affiliate companies, which build and operate complexes, and several architectural firms.

The complexes are located in metro Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The companies also agreed to set up a $950,000 fund to compensate former and present tenants for discrimination resulting from the design of the apartments and agreed to pay a $110,000 civil penalty.

The South Bend Tribune has a story today about the settlement. Some quotes:
The U.S. Department of Justice reached a settlement with developers and architects in the case, including Edward Rose & Associates, which has offices and affiliate companies in Indiana and Michigan.

Many apartment complexes developed and designed by these companies were built locally, including: Hurwich Farms Apartments in South Bend; Indian Lakes Apartments and Autumn Lakes Apartments in Mishawaka; and Arbor Lakes and North Pointe Apartments in Elkhart.

The Department of Justice's press release about the settlement is quoted here, in the Empire Journal.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 6, 2005 10:35 AM
Posted to General Law Related