Grimy Times Exclusive: Developer Faces Heat for Inaccessible Developments
Ginsburg Development Companies, a prominent Westchester developer, has been hit with a civil rights lawsuit by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit, filed on an unspecified date, alleges that the company has constructed several rental complexes with inaccessible features, violating the Fair Housing Act.
The suit, which also includes a preliminary injunction, claims that Ginsburg Development’s properties in Rockland County have excessively high thresholds, insufficient spaces in bathrooms and kitchens for people in wheelchairs, and doors that are not wide enough to accommodate people in wheelchairs. The company is also accused of failing to provide accessible routes into and within individual units.
The preliminary injunction, entered on September 28, 2016, requires Ginsburg Development to retain an experienced accessibility consultant to review its designs and identify inaccessible conditions. The company must also allow the United States to monitor its development efforts.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Li Yu, Natasha Teleanu, Jessica Jean Hu, and Jacob Lillywhite in charge.
Ginsburg Development Companies is accused of violating the Fair Housing Act’s accessible design and construction provisions, which require multifamily housing complexes constructed after January 1993 to have basic features accessible to persons with disabilities.
The lawsuit seeks to require Ginsburg Development to make retrofits at two completed complexes, Parkside and Riverside, in Haverstraw, New York, to modify its policies, procedures, and training, and to pay a civil penalty. The lawsuit also seeks compensation for persons who have been victims of the inaccessible conditions at Parkside and Riverside.
Defendant: Ginsburg Development Companies
Criminal Charges: Civil Rights Violations
City and State: New York
Exact Date: September 28, 2016
Sentence or Outcome: Preliminary Injunction
Dollar Amounts: None
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Civil Rights|Housing Violations
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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