Tennessee v. Lane

            
            
             In 1998, George Lane and Beverly Jones sued the state of Tennessee contending that county and state courthouses were made inaccessible to handicapped persons needing of wheelchairs. In 1997 George Lane was charged with two misdemeanor crimes in Polk County, Tennessee following an auto accident in which he lost one leg during which he was driving with a suspended driver's license. Mr. Lane, whose handicap prevented him from even getting to the courtroom which was located on an upper floor of a county building equipped with neither a ramp nor elevator, was forced to crawl up multiple flights of stairs in an attempt to be present at his arraignment. Following his arraignment Mr. Lane was denied participation in his own future court proceedings due to the county's refusal to accommodate his disability. He was not allowed access to the courtroom on his second visit to the courthouse for his hearing. After refusing to again crawl or be aided up stairs by court employees, Lane was arrested and jailed for failing to show in court before a judge. In his remaining court appearances, Lane was remanded to the first floor lobby of the building while his lawyer ferried information back and forth between the second floor courtroom and his disabled client. Eventually, Mr. Lane's proceedings were held on the first floor of the county courthouse in facilities inaccessible to the public. .
             Beverly Jones is employed as a court reporter in Tennessee. She too is handicapped, a paraplegic who, like George Lane, uses a wheelchair. Her disability was not accommodated by her employers which in turn limited her ability to work. In her suit she identifies twenty five counties that do not have readily accessible facilities for handicapped employees and patrons. She requested changes in four counties but was denied. At the time of her filing suit, none had complied with her requests.
             Both plaintiffs sought damages claims under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.