Baltimore's spending board approved a $100,000 settlement Wednesday with a city library employee who was denied adequate access to handicapped parking.
The employee, Joan Bourne, filed suit against the city claiming that for four years she was denied a parking spot at the Enoch Pratt Free Library's central library that was compliant with federal disability laws, City Solicitor George Nilson said.
Bourne, who uses a walker or crutches because of a hip problem, had repeatedly asked supervisors for more accessible parking, Nilson said.
Although supervisors did reserve a spot behind the building for Bourne, they "didn't do enough or as much as they should have been doing" under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Nilson said.
Bourne initially requested $250,000 in damages plus attorney's fees from the city. Attorneys negotatiated the $100,000 settlement, Nilson said.
The library "acknowledged it dropped the ball," has educated supervisors about disability laws and will pay the money from its own budget, Nilson said.
