Nederlander Organization Settles ADA Complaint

The Nederlander Organization will make its nine Broadway theaters more accessible for disabled people as part of a recent settlement with the U.S. Attorney’s office in New York.

Under terms of the agreement, the company will provide 70 wheelchair-accessible seats, 134 aisle transfer seats and eliminate 500 barriers to accessibility in restrooms, concession counters, waiting areas and box offices, according to a statement.

Nederlander will also pay a $45,000 fine as part of the settlement.

“As a result of this suit and settlement, coupled with a similar lawsuit filed by the Office against the Shubert Theaters in 2003, over twenty of the leading Broadway theaters, operated by the two largest Broadway theater organizations, will be more accessible than ever before,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara wrote.

The settlement stems from a years-long investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that identified numerous violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act at Nederlander’s theaters, six of which were constructed between 90 and more than 100 years ago.

The remaining venues were built in the 1970s and 1980s.