Archstone Trust/ Fair HousingOn December 20, 2004, Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld and Toll, P.L.L.C. and the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs filed a complaint in federal court in Maryland on behalf of people with disabilities against national apartment developer Archstone-Smith Trust (NYSE:ASN), one of the nation's largest developers of residential apartment building communities in the country. The complaint alleges that Archstone and other designers and builders of its properties have engaged in continuous and systematic violations of the civil rights of the disabled in both the design and construction of apartment facilities across the country in violation of the Fair Housing Act ("FHA") and the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"). Among the observed violations are steps leading to building entrances, inadequate width of doorways, inadequate clear floor space in bathrooms and kitchens, and inaccessibly high environmental controls. The suit was brought on behalf of the Equal Rights Center (ERC), the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD), and the United Spinal Association. The violations giving rise to the lawsuit underscore the fact that people using wheelchairs are just as effectively excluded from the opportunity to live in a particular dwelling by lack of access into a unit as they would be by a posted sign saying "No Handicapped People Allowed." The lawsuit hopes to address the significant concern that anytime a housing facility is built which can not be accessed by people using wheelchairs, they are damaged since the housing market remains limited to them. Moreover, inaccessible buildings prevent disabled persons from visiting friends and relatives that live in such housing. |
