Chapel Hill settles discrimination lawsuit

CHAPEL HILL -- Denying any wrongdoing, the town has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a housing discrimination claim brought by the mother of a disabled girl.

In December 2005, the federal Justice Department sued the town for failing to provide a subsidized apartment with wheelchair access. Both parties have agreed to settle the dispute, but the U.S. District Court in Greensboro still must approve the agreement.

Under the settlement, the town would adjust its housing accommodation policy and retrain employees on the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on a disability.

"No one with a disability should be denied an accommodation they need to maintain their independence," said Kim Kendrick, assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Kari R. Johnson, a Raleigh lawyer representing the town, said Chapel Hill denies the allegations but settled to avoid fees that would have resulted from a protracted legal battle.

Sonya Dixon's daughter, who has cerebral palsy, was born after the family moved into a two-story apartment on Lindsay Street. Dixon asked for a one-story apartment with wheelchair access, but none was available.

"There's a waiting list to get into public housing," Johnson said. "... There are no empty units. It can take up to a year to move from one unit into another unit. There are some limitations in moving people around."

Johnson said the town offered to install wheelchair ramps, handrails and new concrete walkways on some of its units, but Dixon was not satisfied.

"We worked with Miss Dixon as much as we possibly could," Johnson said. "The units we offered to her with reasonable modifications would have worked."