Paul, Weiss Secures Final Approval for Historic Settlement Making New York City Subway System More Accessible

Paul, Weiss secured final approval of a historic class action settlement in the Southern District of New York on behalf of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the New York City Transit Authority and related executives. The comprehensive settlement will ultimately provide greater access to the city’s subway system to people with mobility disabilities.

The plaintiffs, a group of disability rights organizations and individuals with disabilities, brought a putative federal class action in 2019 alleging that the MTA violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal and local antidiscrimination laws through its alleged practice of renovating certain subway stations—and specifically replacing staircases at certain stations—without also installing elevators in those stations to make them accessible to individuals with disabilities.

After years of litigation and negotiation, the parties agreed to a settlement under which, subject to several conditions, the MTA will install one or more stair-free paths of travel in 95% of the subway stations that were not accessible as of June 2022.

At the April 7 fairness hearing, U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos granted final approval of the parties’ class action settlement. The parties expect to receive final approval of a settlement in a related class action in state court later this month.

The Paul, Weiss team included litigation partners Allan Arffa and Gregory Laufer.