Paul, Weiss and Bronx Legal Services Achieve Landmark Settlement with NYCHA in Reasonable Accommodations Case

Paul, Weiss, along with co-counsel Bronx Legal Services, obtained a landmark settlement with the New York City Housing Authority that requires NYCHA to comprehensively reform its policies and procedures regarding reasonable accommodations, including transfers to accessible apartments, for mobility-impaired residents. Paul, Weiss negotiated the settlement agreement after conducting extensive discovery, including taking and defending depositions, on behalf of our client, a NYCHA resident who uses a wheelchair. Our client alleged that NYCHA failed to provide him with a reasonable accommodation for over eight years, despite his many requests. Judge Edgardo Ramos of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York approved the parties’ settlement without modification.

The settlement requires NYCHA to pay our client a monetary amount and to make substantial modifications to its policies and procedures, including by providing more information to mobility-impaired tenants about their transfer options, simplifying the transfer request process, facilitating more effective and extensive dialogue between NYCHA and residents seeking accommodations, and providing more robust training to NYCHA employees regarding the handling of reasonable accommodation requests. The reforms effected by this settlement will empower mobility-impaired NYCHA residents to make more informed reasonable accommodation requests and to obtain requested accommodations more quickly. NYCHA also has agreed to provide—in regular installments over the next three years—Paul, Weiss and Bronx Legal Services with data regarding its compliance with the settlement agreement.

The Paul, Weiss team, led by litigation associate Brad Feldman and supervised by litigation partner William Clareman, included litigation associates Rachel Finkel and Steve Kessler; and pro bono counsel Emily Goldberg.