Man who accused Alabama motel of discrimination hires lawyer, requires shutter of motel

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – The man who accused a Weiss Lake motel of denying him a room because he was in a wheelchair hired a lawyer and fired a letter demanding that the motel be closed.

The two-page letter from Scott East’s attorney Alan Jackson criticized Weiss Lake Lodge and the City Center. AL leadership said, “Weiss Lake Lodge and the City Center have declared war on the handicapped.”

The damning letter is related to a viral video that East recorded at the motel over the weekend of July 4th.

The letter alleges that the City Center should not have granted the motel’s current owner, Amitkumar Patel, a business license after he recently acquired the property, and claims the business does not meet the standards of the Americans with Disability Act and was made by The city was not inspected until the license was approved.

Motel manager James McDonald said they did not receive the letter but received a visit from an inspector who advised them on what to do to code the property.

“Two signs on the doors. We got the parking lot with it [handicapped designation sign.] As far as I can remember, it was already there. They just said we need to put them on the doors of the rooms that are ADA compliant, ”said McDonald.

When WBRC spoke to McDonald, he said the updates had not been made.

McDonald again denied any wrongdoing by the property, saying they planned to meet all required ADA standards.

The letter also accused the city of not being ADA compliant.

“The center shows a pattern of practice that fails to make a small attempt to bring the city up to the required ADA standards. We noticed that the City of Center is doing a complete renovation of the local community center, officially known as the Armory, to relocate all of its city offices and staff. I hope the city has made sure that these renovations meet the requirements of the building 100% [sic] the current ADA requirements. “

We spoke to the centre’s city attorney, City Attorney Al Shumaker, on Wednesday. Shumaker said the city is investigating the claims in the letter and will not comment until that investigation is completed.

East’s attorney said a lawsuit was pending.

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