JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FILES LAWSUIT ALLEGING
DISABILITY-BASED HOUSING DISCRIMINATION IN RENO, NEVADA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department today announced the filing of a lawsuit against the developer, builder, architect, civil engineer, and owners of the Sharlands Terrace Apartments in Reno, Nevada, alleging discrimination against persons with disabilities.

The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court in Reno, Nevada, charges that the defendants violated the Fair Housing Act by designing and constructing the Sharlands Terrace Apartments without providing features required to permit access to persons with disabilities. Specifically, according to the complaint, the violations include steps that block access, doors that are too narrow for wheelchairs, features such as electrical outlets and thermostats that are placed too high on walls for persons in wheelchairs to reach them, and kitchens and bathrooms that limit the mobility of persons in wheelchairs.

“Congress enacted the ADA to welcome individuals with disabilities into civic society,” said R. Alexander Acosta, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. “Access to decent housing is a core part of that participation. We will continue to oppose vigorously discrimination on the basis of disability.”

The lawsuit was referred to the Department of Justice by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"When housing is not accessible to persons with disabilities it deprives people not only of a place to live but of the opportunity to be part of the community," said Carolyn Peoples, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "For years, HUD has educated the housing industry on the accessibility requirements of the Fair Housing Act and we will take strong enforcement action against those who violate those requirements."

The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status (having children under 18 years old), national origin, and disability. Vigorous enforcement of the Fair Housing Act’s disability discrimination provisions is part of the President’s New Freedom Initiative, designed to ensure the full access required by federal law for individuals with disabilities. Since January 1, 2001, the Division has filed 123 lawsuits under the Fair Housing Act, 30 of which were based on the Act's design and construct provisions that form the basis of this lawsuit.

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