Judge Greenlights Lawsuit Over Suburban 911 Response

Washington County is trying to convince a federal judge in Portland to throw the case out.

Hillsboro. (Blake Benard)
By Lucas Manfield

A magistrate judge is recommending Disability Rights Oregon’s lawsuit against Washington County move forward. DRO is accusing the county of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by sending police instead of health care workers to 911 calls involving mental health crises.

Washington County is trying to convince a federal judge in Portland to throw the case out, arguing that DRO is stretching the purpose of the anti-discrimination law by requiring it to create new services. (The county says that’s the Legislature’s role.)

On Aug. 30, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman recommended that federal District Judge Adrienne Nelson deny the county’s motion to throw the case out.

“Defendants have chosen to provide a service to all residents of Washington County that, in practice, is allegedly denied to mentally disabled residents. Plaintiffs do not seek a new service but instead seek meaningful access to Defendants’ existing service,” Beckerman wrote.

DRO heralds the move: “We spent a year investigating how the county’s emergency response system violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and look forward to presenting our findings in court,” says managing attorney Dave Boyer.

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