Developer Douglas Pauley and entities affiliated with him have agreed to pay $110,000 and make all required retrofits to remove accessibility barriers at 30 apartment complexes in West Virginia, according to a settlement announced by the Justice Department.
The agreement settles the United States’ claims that Pauley and his affiliated entities violated the Fair Housing Act by building the complexes with a variety of features that made them inaccessible to persons with disabilities.
The parties’ agreement requires Pauley, as general partner of 30 limited liability partnerships, to take extensive actions to make the complexes accessible to persons with disabilities.
These corrective actions include replacing cabinets in bathrooms and kitchens to provide sufficient room for wheelchair users, reducing door threshold heights, replacing excessively sloped portions of sidewalks and installing properly sloped curb ramps that allow persons with disabilities access to sidewalks from the parking areas.
In addition, Pauley and his affiliates will pay $100,000 to establish a settlement fund for the purpose of compensating disabled individuals impacted by the accessibility violations and $10,000 as a civil penalty.
“The Fair Housing Act protects the rights of persons with disabilities to have equal opportunities to enjoy the housing of their choice,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division.
“The Justice Department is strongly committed to the enforcement of the fair housing laws. It is especially important that multi-family properties developed using federal programs are designed to provide accessible and affordable housing to those who need it the most.”
Individuals who believe they were subjected to unlawful discrimination at one of the properties either when they lived there or considered living there should contact the Justice Department toll-free at 1-800-896-7743 or email fairhousing@usdoj.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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