SAN FRANCISCO — A disabled woman who requires a wheelchair is suing a Bakersfield hotel operator, alleging disability discrimination and failure to uphold Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.
Theresa Brooke filed a complaint Dec. 7 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against 4243 Inn South Ave. Inc. alleging the hotel operator failed to provide full and safe equal access to its facilities.
According to the complaint, this month, Brooke went to Econo Lodge Bakersfield to try to book a room. The suit says she suffered injury and was deterred from lodging at defendant’s hotel, as a result of the discrimination she encountered on the hotel property.
The lawsuit says the hotel lacked a fixed pool lift or other means of permitting Brooke equal access to defendant’s pool facilities.
The plaintiff alleges 4243 Inn South Ave. failed to ensure full access to the entirety of the property, and failed to remove architectural barriers to make its lodging services fully accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Brooke seeks trial by jury, damages no less than $4,000, costs of suit, attorney fees, order closure until the defendant has fully complied with the ADA, and all other relief the court deems just. She is represented by attorney Peter Kristofer Strojnik of The Strojnik Firm LLC in Phoenix.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California case number 17-cv-01636