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Simpson Thacher represented an 84 year-old veteran who lives in public housing operated by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The client suffers from several serious medical conditions and receives disability benefits from the Veterans Administration (VA) because he is permanently disabled as a result of injuries and illness related to his military service. The client has lived in the same apartment in Harlem since 1972. Because family members who previously lived with the client had moved out of the apartment, NYCHA informed him in 2014 that he was required to move to a smaller unit and that if he failed to move, they would terminate his tenancy and evict him from his home. Unable to find another apartment, in 2018 the client sought assistance from Volunteers of Legal Service who referred the matter to the Firm. The Simpson Thacher team obtained the client’s tenant file from NYCHA under the New York Freedom of Information Law, and prepared an accommodation request based on the client’s disability, which was required under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other state and federal laws. The accommodation was subsequently approved by NYCHA, with the result that the client is able to stay in his apartment. 

The Simpson Thacher team included Michael Carnevale, Andrew Garber and Melissa Lewis, supervised by Bryce Friedman.