Los Angeles Settles $200 Million Disabled Housing Lawsuit
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The city of Los Angeles will spend at least $200 million to make thousands of housing units accessible to the disabled.
It's part of a lawsuit settlement unanimously approved by the Los Angeles City Council Tuesday.
The settlement resolves a suit filed by several disability advocacy groups, including the Independent Living Center of Southern California.
The plaintiffs claimed the city's redevelopment agency funded housing projects that were not accessible to the disabled.
Under the settlement, the city will spend at least $200 million over 10 years and add 4,000 new or rehabilitated accessible units.
The city has also agreed to pay $4.5 million in damages to the plaintiffs, up to $20 million in attorneys' fees and up to $1 million for court costs.
Other terms include creating a monitoring and inspections process that adheres to disability accessibility regulations; making a list of accessible apartments in the city available online; and training property owners to make their units accessible to the handicapped.