Filed My First Lawsuit(s)
I can't believe I completed my first Co-Op. I finished my first Co-Op by filing two lawsuits. As my last assignment, I worked on the pleadings and discovery requests for two lawsuits involving violations of the American with Disabilities Act.
One lawsuit involved suing the biggest mall in El Paso, Cielo Vista Mall, for not providing accessible pathways to people with disabilities. The second lawsuit was against a famous El Paso taco chain, Chico's Tacos, for not providing accessible seating or restrooms for people with disabilities.
I worked on the two lawsuits from beginning to end which is very rare to accomplish in a summer internship because of the short time span. I conducted field investigative work, interviewed the plaintiffs, wrote the pleadings, discovery requests and filed the lawsuits in court. To top it off, Paso Del Norte Civil Rights Project in conjunction with another organization, Desert ADAPT, protested at the Cielo Vista Mall on July 29, 2009.
Below is a news article and a video from the protest aired on the nightly news in El Paso. I come out on the video.
Link to the News Article
http://www.kvia.com/global/story.asp?s=10816118
Link to the Video
This officially marks the end of a great Co-Op experience. This Co-Op has taught me that the best part of being a lawyer is advocating for individuals who want to enforce their rights. At this Co-Op, I advocated for individuals that included, persons with disabilities who wanted to enjoy equal access to business establishments, for a transsexual to be granted HIV medication and hormone treatment while being detained at a detention center, and for victims of domestic violence to be granted immigration relief for being a victim of a crime. Thank you Paso Del Norte Civil Rights Project for allowing me to experience the role of being an attorney.