Facts

Six current and four former residents of the Alexandria Hotel sued the hotel for disability discrimination, civil rights violations and violations of redevelopment and habitability laws.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS:
The plaintiffs asserted that hotel owner Alexandria Housing Partners (AHP) evicted over a hundred individuals and other tenants suffered constructive eviction due to shutoffs of heat, water, and elevators. Further, AHP denied reasonable accommodations and sought to replace long-term tenants with non-elderly, non-disabled, non-African American tenants. City and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) defendants funded hotel owner's unlawful actions and violated redevelopment law.

DEFENDANT'S CONTENTIONS:
The hotel owner claimed that the hotel evicted tenants due to failure to pay rent and drug involvement, and that the hotel complied with all applicable laws. The city and CRA contended that this was not a city or redevelopment sponsored project and that no state or federal law was violated.

Result

The parties settled for injunctive relief including various revisions to relocation, disability and affirmative marketing policies. The city and CRA will offer settlement monies to certain eligible tenants. The total monetary package for damages and attorney fees was just under $1,000,000. The court will retain jurisdiction for three years while plaintiffs monitor defendants' actions.