New Orleans Facing ADA Lawsuit for State of Sidewalks and Lack of Curb Cuts

The city of New Orleans' compliance with Americans With Disabilities Act compliance is too little, too late, according to the plaintiffs in a new lawsuit.

1 minute read

February 10, 2021, 10:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Americans With Disabilities Act

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Anthony McAuley reports that three men with disabilities have sued the city of New Orleans for failing to keep pace with planned work to improve sidewalks and curb cuts in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act (AD) requirements.

"In their lawsuit, the three men list hundreds of curb at intersections near their homes that do not have compliant curb ramps. They are asking that the city commit to a timetable to make the curbs compliant with the legislation and an unspecified amount of monetary damages," reports McAuley.

According to the lawsuit, the New Orleans Department of Public Works has scheduled sidewalk and curb improvements as far back as December 2011, more than two decades after the adoption of the ADA, but have failed to keep pace with those plans.

The article includes specific insight from locations around the city, provided by the three plaintiffs in the case, Joseph Henry, Francis Falls, and Stephan Namisnak.

Monday, February 8, 2021 in NOLA.com

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