Overton County, ADA Violations, Tennessee 2024

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Overton County has agreed to settle allegations that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by discriminating against residents with hearing impairments during public meetings.

According to the complaint, several residents requested auxiliary aids and services, including hearing assistance, during various county public meetings, including Budget Committee and county legislative body meetings. However, the county allegedly ignored these requests, refused to use microphones in the designated public meeting spaces, and told the residents that they could sit closer to the county commissioners if they had hearing issues.

One county commissioner even offered to provide equipment for audio/listening upgrades to the public meeting spaces, but the county rejected the proposal. As a result, the residents were unable to fully participate in public meetings.

As part of the settlement, Overton County agrees that providing auxiliary aids and services would not fundamentally alter the nature of public meetings and that it would not constitute an undue burden. The county will take steps to ensure that communications with participants with disabilities are as effective as communications with others, including upgrading the audio and amplification systems in the public Chancery courtroom, installing assistive listening systems in public business spaces, and ensuring that microphones are functional in all public spaces.

Overton County will also implement a process by which an individual with a qualifying disability can request an auxiliary aid, service, or reasonable modification to ensure they can fully participate in any public meeting.

The civil claims settled by this resolution are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Overton County, ADA Violations, Tennessee 2024

Mandatory Facts:

Defendant/respondent name: Overton County

Criminal charges: Violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

City and state: Nashville, Tennessee

Exact date: N/A (settlement agreement)

Sentence or outcome: Settlement agreement, with no determination of liability

Dollar amounts: N/A

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/overton-county-agrees-settle-allegations-it-violated-americans-disabilities-act