United States v. Rappuhn (N.D. Ala.)

On March 8,  2016, the court entered the consent order in United States v. Rappuhn (N.D. Ala.), a design & construction lawsuit involving the accessibility provisions of the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act.  The complaint, filed on September 30, 2015, alleged that Allan Rappuhn and his affiliated entities were involved in the design and construction of 71 multifamily housing developments with approximately 4,090 total units and 2,717 FHA-covered units located in Alabama (36 properties), Georgia (25), North Carolina (nine), and Tennessee (one).  Of the 71 properties, 69 were built using either Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (“LIHTC”) and/or funds from the HOME Partnership Investment Program (“HOME funds”).  The complaint alleged that the defendants engaged in a pattern or practice of designing and constructing multifamily housing developments or denying rights to a group of persons in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA), 42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(C), and the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. § 12183(a)(1).  The principal violations at the properties include, among other things, a lack of accessible routes to many covered units and public and common use areas due to steps, the absence of curb cuts, vertical level changes, and steep running and cross slopes; a lack of accessible routes into and through the dwelling units due to high thresholds, narrow passage ways, and narrow doors; and adaptive design violations in the bathrooms and kitchens.  The consent order requires an injunction, fair housing training, record keeping obligations, reporting to the United States for a period of four years, a settlement fund of $300,000 to compensate victims, a civil penalty of $50,000, and retrofits to alleged non-compliant barriers on the accessible routes, in the public and common use areas, and in the covered dwelling units at the 71 properties.