Judge Gives Final Blessing to End Brookdale’s Accessibility Suit

A federal judge signed off on a settlement in which Brookdale Senior Living Inc. agreed to renovate several of its California facilities to end an eight-year legal battle over accessibility.

The agreement in a class action involving current and former residents is “fair, adequate, and reasonable,” Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. of the US District Court for the Northern District of California wrote in an Oct. 24 order.

Gilliam’s approval follows his preliminary blessing in June, and a hearing earlier this month. Brookdale agreed to modify indoor and outdoor common areas, renovate residential units, update emergency evacuation protocols, and ...