City of Annapolis Reaches Tentative Settlement in Public Housing Discrimination Lawsuits

The City of Annapolis and plaintiffs in two federal public housing discrimination lawsuits have reached a tentative settlement agreement that could resolve years of litigation stemming from allegations of substandard living conditions in city-owned public housing.

According to a City of Annapolis press release issued Friday, the agreement was reached on May 19 following a series of mediation sessions before a federal magistrate judge. The settlement remains subject to approval by the U.S. District Court overseeing the cases, and additional conditions must still be finalized before the agreement can be formally submitted to the court.

The proposed settlement would resolve two lawsuits filed in 2021. One is a class-action case involving more than 1,400 public housing residents, while the second was brought by representatives of a former public housing resident who died. Both cases arose from decades of complaints concerning housing conditions at properties owned and operated by the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis.

Under the framework announced by the parties, plaintiffs would receive a total of $15 million. The City stated that its excess insurance carrier would contribute $5 million by exhausting the limits of its policy, while the remaining $10 million would be paid through City funds.

Mayor Jared Littmann described the agreement as an important step toward improving housing conditions for residents.

“The settlement is a first step on our path to ensuring improved housing conditions for our residents, and I’m proud of the City’s work on that front,” Littmann said in the release.

Attorney Joseph Donahue, one of the lawyers representing the residents, said the proposed agreement addresses long-standing civil rights concerns raised by the plaintiffs.

“We believe this settlement vindicates the civil rights of our clients and all residents of public housing to receive equal protection under the law,” Donahue said.

If approved by the court, the settlement would bring an end to litigation that has focused attention on conditions within Annapolis public housing communities and the City’s responsibility for addressing longstanding resident complaints.