LAFAYETTE – A deaf Bossier City man who communicates using American Sign Language alleges that he suffered discrimination because he was not provided an effective means of communicating with law enforcement.
William Edward Haab filed a complaint on May 22 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana against Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington alleging violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that as a result of not understanding the terms and conditions of his sex offender registration, he has suffered loss of freedom of movement and an invasion of his civil rights. The plaintiff holds Whittington responsible because the defendant allegedly failed to accommodate plaintiff's disability and failed and/or refused to provide auxiliary aids and services necessary to ensure effective communication with plaintiff regarding complex legal matters.
The plaintiff seeks an injunction ordering defendant to accommodate plaintiff’s disability, award compensatory damages, attorneys’ fees and costs and all other relief that the court finds necessary. He is represented by Andrew D. Bizer, Garret S. DeReus and Marc P. Florman of Bizer & DeReus in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana case number 5:17-cv-00673