A settlement in an Americans with Disabilities Act class action brought by two attorneys and a community activist will lead to ADA-compliant upgrades like private bathrooms, accessible voting machines and new signage at municipal buildings serving Detroit and Wayne County.

The upgrades promised by the settlement were revealed this week. Those changes — including improvements to bathrooms at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, ADA-accessible voting machines at the Detroit Department of Elections and updated signage at various buildings — must be completed by November.

The suit, brought in federal court by three disabled plaintiffs — attorneys Jill Babcock and Ashley Jacobson and community activist Marguerite Maddox — was settled late last year, but officials have to complete the changes by the end of 2026, attorneys for the plaintiffs told Law360 on Thursday.

Four new private ADA-accessible bathrooms will be built at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, and they will feature automatic doors to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers.

Wayne County Circuit Court jury boxes will have wheelchair-accessible spaces, courtrooms will have updated listening devices, and Wayne County court staff receive ADA training so they can arrange accommodations for jurors and other court visitors.

Babcock and Maddox were both discouraged from jury service because of their disabilities, said Michael Bartnik of Law For Baby Boomers, who represented them in the lawsuit. Babcock used a wheelchair and Maddox has a walker and a service animal.

"When they showed up for jury duty and had difficulty getting into the building, they were told not to worry about it," Bartnik said. "They both wanted to serve on the jury."

The settlement came three years after Babcock, Jacobson and Maddox filed the lawsuit against Wayne County, the city of Detroit, the Detroit-Wayne Building Authority and the state of Michigan, claiming the courthouses and other facilities for Detroit and Wayne County lacked the proper accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

The Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, which shares city and county operations, had one minimally ADA-accessible restroom located in the basement on the city's side of the building.

Some of the compliance work was done during the lawsuit, Bartnik said. Some of the bathrooms have already added ambulatory stalls that have bars and railings on the side and sinks, toilets and mirror levels have been brought up to compliance.

"After a protracted, challenging litigation process, we are thrilled to reach this comprehensive resolution with the State of Michigan, City of Detroit, Wayne County and Detroit-Wayne Joint Building Authority," said Liz Abdnour of Abdnour Weiker, who also served as counsel in the case. "Thanks to our clients' perseverance and tireless efforts, the defendants have committed to making significant, material improvements that will positively benefit citizens with disabilities who need to access important public buildings in the City of Detroit."

Abdnour dedicated the outcome of the settlement to Babcock, who died in June, months before the settlement was finalized.

Babcock, who had a background as an attorney, but worked as an expert in the Detroit Economic Development Department, was passionate about disability rights. She posthumously received an award from the Elder Law Disability Rights section of the Michigan Bar Association, Bartnik said.

Jill Babcock, Ashley Jacobson and Marguerite Maddox are represented by Michael Bartnik of Law for Baby Boomers PLLC and Elizabeth Abdnour of Abdnour Weiker LP.

Michigan is represented by Cassandra A. Drysdale-Crown, Kimberly Pendrick and Marla Linderman Richelew of the Michigan Department of Attorney General.

Wayne County is represented by Angela L. Baldwin, E. Powell Miller, Melvin B. Hollowell and Sharon S. Almonrode of the Miller Law Firm and James M. Jernigan of the Law Office of James M. Jernigan PLLC.

Detroit is represented by Charles N. Raimi, James D. Noseda and Jesse Halfon of the City of Detroit Law Department, Frances J. Hollander, Kyle Bierlein and Lawrence T. Garcia of Miller Canfield.

The Detroit-Wayne Joint Building Authority is represented by Gregory N. Longworth and Paul Magy of Clark Hill PLC.

The case is Babcock v. Michigan, case number 2:22-cv-12951, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

--Additional reporting by Emily Sawicki. Editing by Linda Voorhis.