SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE CITY OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT Department of Justice Complaint Nos. 204-14-143/204-14-144Settlement Agreement • May 5th, 2020
Contract Type FiledMay 5th, 2020WHEREAS, this matter was initiated by two complaints filed pursuant to title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12134, by the Office of Protection and Advocacy (hereinafter “OPA”) on behalf of [redacted] (hereinafter “[redacted]”). The complaints allege, inter alia, that from at least 2008 to 2011, the City of New Haven’s Livable City Initiative which oversees and has responsibility for housing and code enforcement (also known as the “Livable City Initiative”) and the New Haven Police Department (hereinafter “NHPD”) failed to effectively communicate with people who are deaf or hard of hearing in that they failed to provide interpreters during investigations, meetings, enforcement actions, arrests, and detentions. The complaints further allege that the City has failed to establish and enforce sufficient policies and training for its personnel regarding how to obtain interpreters, when to obtain interpreters, and how to interact with people who are deaf