Disabled Co-op City resident defeats management in court

A disabled man triumphed in court over Riverbay for the second time in less than a year, arguing that the managers of Co-op City are obliged to install automatic openers at the front doors of his building, the New York Daily News reported.

John Rose, a longtime resident of the Co-op City building at 100 Aldrich Street in the Bronx, has cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair but can’t open the front doors of his building alone. He can, however, enter through the handicap accessible side doors.

Initially the city’s Commission of Human Rights ruled that the side doors relegate Rose to “second-class” citizenry and is “the equivalent of having to sit in the back of the bus.” They awarded Rose $51,000 in damages and fined Riverbay $50,000. A State Supreme Court ruled against Riverbay’s appeal and upheld the commission’s ruling, but reduced the fine to $5,000 and the damages to $16,000.

Riverbay is considering appealing again. [NYDN]