The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) announced a settlement of their federal housing discrimination lawsuit against HHHunt Corp., a Blacksburg, Va.-based real estate development company. The lawsuit alleged that HHHunt engaged in a continuous pattern or practice of discrimination against people with disabilities since 2002 by designing and/or constructing multifamily dwellings, and common- and public-use areas, without required accessibility features.Â
As part of the settlement, HHHunt has agreed to permit accessibility surveys of its nine apartment complexes in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina to determine whether 1,247 units meet federal accessibility guidelines. HHHunt has also agreed to retrofit inaccessible features at all nine apartment complexes within one to three years and pay an undisclosed sum to cover costs and attorney's fees for the NFHA and PVA.
‘We are pleased that HHHunt has agreed to make its properties accessible for everyone by retrofitting units in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina,’ says Shanna L. Smith, NFHA president and CEO. ‘When the thresholds for entry doors are too high or sidewalk slopes are hazardously steep, people with disabilities are effectively and illegally shut out. HHHunt has worked closely with us and has promised to correct these problems. The Fair Housing Act provides clear and straightforward standards for all developers, architects and engineers to follow.’
The NFHA and PVA were represented in their lawsuit by Relman, Dane & Colfax PLLC, a civil rights law firm based in Washington, D.C.
