Van Velzor v. City of Burleson

43 F. Supp. 3d 746, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 122899, 2014 WL 4375672
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedSeptember 4, 2014
DocketCivil Action No. 3:12-CV-2508-G
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 43 F. Supp. 3d 746 (Van Velzor v. City of Burleson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Van Velzor v. City of Burleson, 43 F. Supp. 3d 746, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 122899, 2014 WL 4375672 (N.D. Tex. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

A. JOE FISH, Senior District Judge.

Before the court is the motion of the defendant, the City of Burleson, to dismiss the plaintiffs third amended complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) (docket entry 41). For the reasons stated below, the motion is denied.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background

This case concerns alleged discriminatory practices of the City of Burleson, Texas against Joseph Van Velzor (“Van Velzor”) and similarly situated disabled individuals. Van Velzor is 60 years old and has a degenerative bone and joint disorder. See Third Amended Complaint (“Complaint”) ¶ 5 (docket entry 38). Because of his disability, Van Velzor’s mobility is substantially impaired, he frequently must use a wheelchair, and he has been issued disability plates and placards by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Id. ¶¶ 1, 5-6. The City does not appear to contest Van Velzor’s status as a qualified individual with a disability. See City of Burleson’s Third Motion & Brief to Dismiss Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) (“Motion”) at 1-2 (docket entry 41); Plaintiffs Response to [749]*749Defendant City of Burleson’s Third Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) (“Plaintiffs Response”) at 1 (docket entry 44).

Van Velzor’s dispute with the City began in October 2011, when he visited a Wal-Mart Supercenter store in Burleson and found that there were no unoccupied “accessible” parking spots, or spots reserved for those with disabilities. See Complaint ¶ 7. Furthermore, some of the occupied accessible parking spots were taken by vehicles that lacked the required accessible parking placards or license plates, in violation of Texas Transportation Code § 681.011(b). Id Van Velzor called the Burleson Police Department about this violation and informed the dispatcher that the illegally parked cars were preventing him from being able to park and enter the store. Id ¶ 10. The dispatcher told Van Velzor that she would send an officer to address the situation, but no officer arrived, and the dispatcher allegedly did not speak to anyone about Van Velzor’s call. Id.

Van Velzor returned to the Wal-Mart Supercenter the next March, and found that the accessible parking spots were once again occupied by vehicles lacking the required placards or plates. Id ¶ 11. He called the police department, but the department again failed to send an officer. Id. Later, Van Velzor spoke with the manager of the Wal-Mart and learned that store employees had called the police department to request enforcement of section 681.011(b), but that as with Van Vel-zor’s calls, no officers ever arrived. See id. ¶ 12. Wal-Mart also sent a letter to the police department regarding the frequent illegal use of the accessible parking spots, but the City never responded. Id.

Van Velzor later learned that the City had established a special program, known as Citizens On Patrol (or “COP”), to handle violations of the accessible-parking law. See id. ¶ 15. Through the COP program, the police department outsources enforcement of this law to a group of volunteer citizens. See id. Van Velzor alleges that the COP program only handles violations of the accessible-parking law, and that the City retains its authority to enforce non-disability-related parking laws within the regular operations of the police department. See id. ¶ 15. Furthermore, Van Velzor claims that the police department dispatcher does not actually refer calls related to accessible-parking violations to the COP program, and that persons with disabilities are not able to contact the COP program directly, as it does not have a separate dispatch line. See id. ¶ 16. In effect, the COP program allegedly does not provide disabled citizens with any actual means of having the accessible-parking law enforced.

In addition to his difficulties with accessible parking spots, Van Velzor asserts that the City refused to provide relief when he was denied assistance pumping gas, in violation of Texas Business & Commerce Code § 105.003(a) and § 105.005. See id. ¶ 21. When Van Velzor called the police regarding this violation, the dispatcher expressly told him that the police department would not help him with his problem. Id. ¶24. Between his inability to pump gas and the lack of accessible parking spots, Van Velzor alleges that the police department’s refusal to enforce disability-related traffic laws deprives him of the opportunity to access public accommodations. Id. ¶¶ 9,19, 23.

After the gas-pumping incident, Van Velzor went to the police department to complain about the lack of enforcement of disability-related laws. See id. ¶27. He spoke with an Officer Davis, who told him that the enforcement of these laws was not within the police .department’s jurisdiction, [750]*750and that Van Velzor should instead talk to the District Attorney or the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Id. ¶¶ 27-28. Van Velzor next went to the Burleson City Hall, where he was referred to Deputy City Manager Paul Cain. Id. ¶ 30. Van Velzor explained the problems he had with the lack of enforcement of disability-related laws. Id. ¶¶ 31-32. As he was not yet aware of the existence of the COP program, Van Velzor suggested that if the City’s police department was not going to respond to calls to enforce the accessible-parking law, the City should deputize volunteer citizens to undertake that task. Id. ¶ 32. Cain allegedly did not mention the pre-existing COP program, evincing a lack of knowledge of the City’s disabled parking policies. Id. Van Velzor later called Cain and requested that the City train its police officers to properly handle violations of disability-related laws, but Cain refused, stating that the City did not know how to conduct such training. Id. ¶ 33.

Van Velzor alleges that the City’s violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) extend beyond the refusal to enforce Texas Business and Commercial Code § 105.003(a) and Texas Transportation Code § 681.011(b), and that the City in fact does not enforce any laws related to persons with disabilities. Id. ¶ 34. He distinguishes this lack of enforcement from the City’s policies related to non-disability-related laws, which he alleges are regularly enforced by the City. Id. ¶¶ 14, 17.

B. Procedural Background

The court previously granted a motion to dismiss Van Velzor’s second amended complaint, but granted him leave to amend to attempt to remedy the deficiencies in his complaint. See Memorandum Opinion and Order of July 12, 2013 (“2013 Opinion”) at 20, 2013 WL 3579339 (docket entry 33). On November 12, 2013, the plaintiff filed his third amended complaint, adding details to his allegations, and asserting facts related to the existence of the COP program. See generally Complaint. On December 10, 2013, the defendant filed the instant motion to dismiss the plaintiffs third amended complaint. See Motion.

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Bluebook (online)
43 F. Supp. 3d 746, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 122899, 2014 WL 4375672, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-velzor-v-city-of-burleson-txnd-2014.