BATON ROUGE – A deaf parolee alleges he was discriminated against because he was not provided an interpreter or aids when communicating with his parole officer.
James Roger Bradley filed a complaint on Nov. 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana against state of Louisiana through the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections and Michael D. Edmonson alleging that they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that he was released from incarceration this year and was to meet with a parole officer, but was never provided aids despite his requests. As a result of being unable to engage in the probation services, he alleges has suffered loss of freedom of movement and invasion of his civil rights. The plaintiff holds the state of Louisiana through the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections and Michael D. Edmonson responsible because the defendants allegedly failed and refused to provide an interpreter or any auxiliary aids and services necessary to ensure effective communication regarding complex legal matters and failed to undertake any meaningful assessment of his communication needs and abilities.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks award for compensatory damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, interest and all other relief that the court finds necessary and appropriate. He is represented by Andrew D. Bizer, Garret S. DeReus and Marc P. Florman of The Bizer Law Firm in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana Case number 3:16-cv-00750