NEW ORLEANS — An Orleans Parish paraplegic is suing two hotel and casino property operators, alleging failure to provide access for disabled customers.
Wellington Ratcliff Jr. of New Orleans filed a lawsuit March 29, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Louisiana-I Gaming, LP and Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc., alleging they failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act's accessibility standards for new construction.
According to the complaint, Ratcliff has experienced serious difficulty accessing the goods and utilizing the services at The Boomtown Casino and Hotel in Harvey due to numerous architectural barriers. The plaintiff alleges the defendants failed to properly train its employees to provide accurate information about accessible-designated hotel rooms to persons with disabilities, failed to have access aisles at the accessible-designated parking spaces, and failed to have a level landing space at the top or bottom of the main entrance ramp.
Some areas in the premises are without ramp and are located excessively high off of the finished floor, the suit says.
Ratcliff seeks a trial by jury, an order directing defendants to make their properties accessible to and usable by individuals with mobility disabilities, reasonable attorney fees, costs and other relief as the court deems proper. He is represented by attorneys Andrew D. Bizer, Garret S. DeReus and Amanda K. Klevorn of The Bizer Law Firm in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-02556