EAST ST. LOUIS - A disabled man is suing Holiday Inn Express and Suites for allegedly failing to provide him with a proper handicapped accessible room and a swimming pool wheelchair lift.
Ancel Montenelli filed a complaint on Feb. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against R.L.P. Development Company Inc. and Blue Hospitality LLC, doing business as Holiday Inn Express and Suits, alleging they violated the Illinois Human Rights Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on Jan. 25, 2016, he checked into defendants' hotel located in Edwardsville and asked for a handicapped-accessible room. He claims Holiday Inn failed to provide an alternative handicapped-accessible room and a swimming pool wheelchair lift.
As a result, he was unable to safely use the hotel's bathroom/shower and was precluded from using the hotel's recreational/swimming facilities for the duration of his stay.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks an order mandating defendants to undertake corrective measures to provide equal access to individuals with disabilities, award for damages, costs and attorney's fees and such other injunctive and declaratory relief.
He is represented by Scott R. Dinin of Miami.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 3:17-cv-00197