Posted on 04/17/2025 12:25:30 PM PDT by DFG
A paraplegic man formerly living in NYCHA housing now has a swanky apartment and allegedly bought a Mercedes thanks to cash from settlements in lawsuits that defendants claim amount to a citywide “shakedown.”
Wheelchair-bound Jocelyn Pierre has filed 113 federal lawsuits against restaurants, pharmacies, clothing stores and even a charity in Brooklyn and Manhattan since 2018 for their alleged failures to provide handicap access to their establishments.
In each case, he cites the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to the filings reviewed by The Post. Once the lawsuits are filed, his lawyers move in and offer to settle if the businesses pay thousands of dollars, according to those who have received them.
All of Pierre’s lawsuits have been brought by Manhattan-based attorneys Bradly and Darren Marks and have targeted everyone from high-end clothing store Paul Stuart on Madison Avenue and a Duane Reade to Electric Lotus Tattoo, a tattoo studio in Fort Greene.
Lucali, the famed pizza restaurant in Carroll Gardens that is a favorite of celebrities including Taylor Swift, David Beckham and Beyonce and Jay-Z, was also sued.
The pizza joint is one of the few to fight back through the courts — most cases are settled and 35 are ongoing, according to court records.
Lucali has filed a lawsuit in response to the federal case against Pierre and his lawyers, who are brothers, in which it blasted the “malicious prosecution” and “fraudulent action” against the buzzy pizza parlor.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Thanks a LOT, George HW Bush, ya worthless uber-elite statist!
Our people knew this would happen so how does it look if they vote against it?
The good news is that it made the handicapped more available to live normal lives and be a part of the work force.
Goldwater voted against the Civil Rights Act because it took away one’s freedom of association. Made sense enough to be branded a racist.
A more strict interpretation is necessary starting with loser pays.
This went on in Los Angeles a decade or more ago and KFI640 radio went after the lawfirm that was using this tactic. It took a few years but they were driven out. Maybe a law was passed or the law licensing was threaten.
We had one of those here on the San Francisco Peninsula. He never set foot in the stores. Some went out of business, some moved, others did expensive remodeling. Some stores had back doors off of the rear parking plaza. There were two steps down to the main floor. Stores closed their back entrances after SIXTY YEARS without any problems. It is a short distance around the corner to the front door.
I HATE this crap!
Yep, good intentions, horrible law.
Wrap your head around this....the DoD facility I worked at remodeled all the old restrooms on 2nd floor levels to accommodate handicapped use .....problem was, none of those 2nd level restrooms were accessible any other way than by stairs.
Typical fed gov lack of common sense right?
This has been going on forever. I owned a small ceramic studio on La Mesa, CA 25 years ago. The Merchant Association was warned about this and suggested that everybody put a sign on their window saying that there is not public restroom. The shakedowns have been going on since ADA was established.
And you thought only lawyers were ambulance chasers.
wy69
I have heard of people like this before.
Disabled, though crooked individuals who have figured out how to game the system. Many will harass a business so relentlessly, that business will end up going bankrupt or leaving town.
“The good news is that it made the handicapped more available to live normal lives and be a part of the work force.”
It did no such thing. Handicapped people were employed prior to this and no one is getting a job because of the ADA. If anything the ADA made handicapped people a protected class meaning any business dealings going awry with a handicapped person is a de facto basis for litigation. Which means a rational response even if denied or unconscious is to avoid even interviewing handicapped people. It’s the same thing with race, gender, age, disability, Native American status, vet status, etc.. Thankfully most employers try to navigate around the landmines using things like elaborate job descriptions and blind testing but it happens now more than before the ADA.
Of course just as with any subsidized condition we have an ever increasing number of handicapped. Who else remembers leaving the close parking spots open for those that needed them? No we have the blue placards fighting amongst themselves for the best handicapped spots.
Soon everyone will have a placard indicating their level of disability which will determine how close they get to park. No choice, in my state our disability rate is closing in on 20% which means 20% must be designated handicapped.
In the meantime the profoundly handicapped are being vastly underserved.
I talked to some freeway pavement construction workers.
They knew about this stuff, and saw a repeat guy gaming freeway facilities where humans were involved.
A question for any FR legal mind:
Are legal judgements or settlements viewed as taxable income?
I was working as a Director at a huge teaching hospital in
Miami around 2010. A similar character made the rounds of
the hospital (7.5 million square feet - 1600 beds, 108 elevators).
After writing up the violations, he got a court to hit up the
hospital for $10.8 million. Then he moved on to his next victim.
IIRC-—THEY HAD TO “GRANDFATHER” IN THE OLDER BUILDINGS.
MOST the Hollywood area buildings were built in the 20’s.
Clearly, that facility was built for the fittest of the fit ice skater/hockey player. Too bad. The ADA scammers made a visit. They insisted on a long list of accommodations that no skating patron would even need or want. The choice was to do the demanded upgrades or close because it was to expensive. The latter choice occurred because their customer base was very small and they couldn't charge enough to make the improvements. Another stupid outcome.
I had ditched the walker and was climbing stairs just fine by mid-November 2024. I'm much better now. I can walk all over Fred Meyer with ease. The critical hurdle was getting over all of the infections. I haven't used the hang tag since late November 2024. It was helpful, but only needed temporarily. Now I get to walk into places past long rows of empty handicapped spaces like everyone else.
Glad you’re better, Myrddin!
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