
Los Angeles is on the hook for more than $38 million after being accused of misrepresenting the handicapped-accessibility of the city’s “affordable” housing. That’s the final figure agreed on in the case’s settlement.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit against the city in 2017,, accusing it of lying on federal paperwork sent to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about the features of the multifamily dwellings that it built with the help of federal money. The DOJ suit was filed for the benefit of people like Mei Ling, the named plaintiff in the case. Ling is a wheelchair user and an advocate with the Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley, a group that pushes for the interests of the disabled. How much the group may get as part of the settlement has not yet been decided.
According to the suit, Ling, 57 years old, has been using a wheelchair since 2006 and has spent her time either without a home, or living in allegedly accessible and affordable housing that was not actually accessible.
The DOJ complaint alleged that Los Angeles waited at least six years to actually fulfill its promise to make affordable housing disability accessible. Among the problems cited were inclines too steep for wheelchairs, counters that were built too high for people in wheelchairs to reach, and doorways that were too narrow to pass through.
In addition, the suit claimed LA did not keep a publicly accessible list of actually accessible apartments with details about what made them accessible. The DOJ says it was not merely an oversight, but that the city “knowingly and falsely certified” its housing’s accessibility status to HUD. That itself is a violation of the False Claims Act, according to the suit.
Hydee Feldstein, city attorney for Los Angeles, disputed these claims, saying the city did not break the False Claims Act. In an email statement provided to media, Feldstein said the city is nevertheless pleased to get to the settlement stage, and noted that the original damages claimed were about $1 billion.
HUD gives grants to states and municipalities to build affordable housing, but part of the deal requires governments to make sure at least 5 percent of the units are accessible to those with problems moving around, and 2 percent for those with vision and hearing disabilities.
Los Angeles received almost $1 billion in federal funds during the six-year period that the suit claims required LA to actually make good on its promise of accessibility.