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Paul, Weiss Helps to Achieve a Significant Settlement for Disabled Prisoners
- Client News
- July 24, 2014
Practices
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has approved a private settlement agreement in a lawsuit on behalf of a class of blind and severely visually impaired prisoners at two correctional facilities run by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). The settlement is a significant victory for the rights of disabled prisoners. The agreement requires DOCCS to provide assistance and assistive devices to meet the needs of legally blind and severely visually impaired prisoners, and contains more than 100 substantive terms addressing nearly all aspects of prison life that implicate a prisoner's visual impairment. It will help visually disabled prisoners participate in activities, services and programs ranging from reading and writing to legal research, from GED programs to vocational training, and from safe recreation and showering to safe transportation between facilities. The settlement includes periodic reporting over the next two years so that plaintiffs' counsel may confirm DOCCS's compliance with its obligations.
The Paul, Weiss team included, among others, partner Daniel Kramer, associate Katherine Kelly, visiting lawyer Machteld Jansen and former associates Marisa Lenok and Asad Kudiya.