Willits v. City of Los Angeles

What this case is about

This is a settled class-action lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, filed by Willits, et al., a group of LA residents with mobility disabilities, in 2010 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (2:10-cv-05782). The lawsuit alleged that LA's sidewalk infrastructure had decades of deferred maintenance — cracked, lifted, broken, and missing sections, plus missing or non-compliant curb ramps — that made enormous portions of the public pedestrian network unusable for wheelchair users, scooter users, and others with mobility disabilities. In 2015, the case settled with a landmark $1.4 BILLION commitment from LA — the largest sidewalk-accessibility settlement in U.S. history. The city agreed to spend the money over 30 years, with priority routes, milestones, and oversight. The case is in long-term compliance phase. Reports of inaccessible sidewalks, broken curb ramps, or improperly maintained pedestrian rights-of-way can be filed with the city or with plaintiffs' counsel.

Who may qualify

The settlement protects people with mobility disabilities who encounter inaccessible sidewalks or curb ramps in Los Angeles city limits. You can report a problem if: - You use a wheelchair, scooter, walker, cane, or other mobility device. - You encountered a barrier on an LA city-maintained sidewalk or curb ramp. - The barrier caused you to take a detour, go into the street, or give up. The settlement covers City of Los Angeles only — NOT LA County roads in unincorporated areas, LA Metro, or other municipalities.

What helps your case

Documentation supporting reports: precise location, photographic evidence of the barrier (slope, surface condition, ramp dimensions where measurable), date, impact narrative, prior 311 service-request records.

How to document what happened

Document with photographic evidence, precise location, and impact narrative. File via MyLA311 to establish city notice. Track repeat reports of the same intersection — sustained non-responsiveness is independently actionable under the settlement.

What if you don’t have documentation?

Reporting may proceed without contemporaneous documentation. Channels: LA 311, plaintiffs' counsel, DOJ administrative complaint (ADA.gov), and CA Civil Rights Department for parallel Unruh/state-law claims.

What this case doesn’t cover

Outside scope: County of LA unincorporated areas, LA Metro, Caltrans-maintained corridors, other municipalities, private property, City facilities beyond pedestrian rights-of-way.

Legal theory

ADA Title II

Named defendants

• City of Los Angeles

Case facts

Type

Class action

Affected states

CA

Court

U.S. District Court, Central District of California

Docket

2:10-cv-05782

Filed

2010-08-01

Who to contact

Nobody is running an intake for this one. You can still report what happened.

• Government agency

  U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

  Takes complaints about businesses open to the public and about state and local government. It investigates and enforces, but it does not represent individuals and cannot advise you on your own claim.

  Phone 800-514-0301

  TTY 833-610-1264

  civilrights.justice.gov/report

  Filing a complaint is not the same as having a lawyer, and it does not pause any legal deadlines. If you may want to bring a case, talk to an attorney about your dates as well as filing.

  Every state has one. They are free, they take intake directly, and unlike a federal agency they can represent you. Find yours

Key dates

Status

Compliance phase, multi-decade implementation

Settlement

2015 ($1.4B / 30-year remediation commitment)

Complaint filed

2010