Los Angeles, California, July 7, 2011–Keith Rohman, president of Public Interest Investigations, Inc., (PII) was recently named as the court-appointed monitor in Fred Pierce, et al v. County of Orange, et al., a class-action suit alleging that Orange County jail facilities did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and that disabled inmates were denied access to some of the jail’s programs and services.

U.S. District Court Judge Audrey B. Collins ruled previously that the Orange County jail system violated the ADA in numerous respects and ordered the County to make reasonable accommodations and changes to jail procedures to correct the violations. In an order on June 26, 2011, Rohman was selected to serve as the court’s monitor to insure that the ordered corrections were implemented in a timely and complete manner. Problems were identified at several Orange County facilities, including the Central Jail Complex in Santa Ana, which includes the Men’s Central Jail (MCJ), and at two other County jail facilities.

The court found that “many physical barriers exist at each jail facility housing mobility- and dexterity-impaired detainees, and that the expense of remedying these barriers is reasonable.” In particular, the showers, toilets, and sinks in some County jails were inaccessible to disabled detainees and inmates. The court also found that disabled detainees and inmates of both genders lacked equal access to some vocational programs, educational classes, rehabilitation programs, and exercise areas offered to non-disabled detainees and inmates.

Rohman is a legal investigator and consultant, who has significant experience working with detainees and inmates and working in court-monitored processes.. Rohman founded PII in downtown Los Angeles in 1984. The firm’s caseload spans a wide range of legal issues and specialties, including civil rights, international human rights, employment law, and torts. PII’s clients include governmental entities, corporations, and private attorneys.