The Civil Rights Litigation Initiative won a victory for Monroe resident Sheila Ashley in a disability discrimination case. Ms. Ashley accepted $5,000 from a Monroe area Real Estate broker, Edward Pipis, to resolve her fair housing complaint. “I am very, very pleased with the way this turned out,” said Ms. Ashley.
Ms. Ashley contacted the Fair Housing Center in 2018 after she was denied the right to rent an apartment in Monroe because she requested to install a ramp at the entrance. Ms. Ashley has a disability and uses a wheelchair. Testing by the Fair Housing Center supported Ms. Ashley’s claim. W18-084
The case was resolved by law students Will McCartney, Claire Shimberg, and Natalie Treacy, working under the supervision of Professor Michael J. Steinberg, Director of the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative of the University of Michigan Law School. Ms. Ashley called Professor Steinberg and the law students “heaven sent,” and said they “helped me through so much.”