Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia Sued Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority

In December of 2024, Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia (“LASEV”) sued Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (“NRHA”) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. A copy of the redacted complaint can be accessed here. 
 

The complaint alleges that NRHA violated the Fair Housing Act by failing to grant and implement a client’s request for a reasonable accommodation. LASEV’s client is legally blind, so they requested that NRHA issue all communications and notices to them by email. Having an electronic copy of documents allow them to magnify the documents on a computer or phone and read them in differential lighting. The complaint alleges that, despite formally granting the accommodation, NRHA has consistently and inexplicably refused or failed to implement it for several months and counting. The complaint further alleges this noncompliance persisted despite the client’s repeated pleas to implement the rudimentary accommodation. The complaint seeks compensatory damages, injunctive relief, declaratory relief, and LASEV’s costs and attorney’s fees. The case is still pending.