Resource: U.S. v. Georgia

On May 18, 2016, the State of Georgia and the United States Department of Justice filed in federal district court an agreement to expand the capacity and improve the quality of community-based services the State provides to individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses. This “Extension Agreement” built on the commitments the State made in an historic, comprehensive 2010 settlement agreement resolving Georgia’s unlawful institutionalization of individuals with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities in its state hospitals, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Supreme Court’s landmark 1999 decision in Olmstead v. L.C. The case was originally brought by the U.S. Department of Justice. Earlier, a coalition of stakeholders convinced the court to withhold approval of a settlement that would have ended the litigation without adequate ADA relief.