Western North Carolina wedding venue reaches settlement, agrees to remedy facilities to comply with ADA

Doug Coats
·2 min read

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A western North Carolina wedding venue reached a settlement in response to alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached an agreement with Nantahala Weddings to remedy alleged violations of the ADA at its Macon County facilities, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

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According to a civil rights complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Justice, Nantahala Weddings was violating the ADA by:

  • Charging a fee to transport individuals with mobility impairments up a non-accessible hill.

  • Failing to offer accessible restrooms to guests.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that everyone has equal access to businesses and facilities available to the public,” said U.S. Attorney Dena King who also serves as Chair of the U.S. Attorney General’s Subcommittee on Civil Rights. “This settlement reflects our commitment. It is critical for companies to maintain accessible facilities so that individuals with disabilities can fully use and enjoy a business’s goods and services.”

The property on Nantahala Lake offers lodgings for rent and includes several buildings, outdoor pavilions, and open-air gathering areas separated by wooded areas and steep hills.

Upon learning of the complaint, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says Nantahala Weddings took prompt action to remedy certain architectural barriers on its own initiative. The venue fully cooperated with the investigation and subsequently agreed to remedy its accessibility issues.

The business has already begun implementing the terms of the settlement agreement. As part of the settlement, Nantahala Weddings will perform the following remedies:

  • Construct accessible lodging for guests to rent;

  • Build accessible exterior walkways connecting its facilities or, where specified, offer accessible transportation to guests with no surcharge;

  • Renovate single-use bathrooms and other facilities for ADA compliance; and

  • Update various other architectural barriers to access.

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Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by businesses that serve the public, such as Nantahala Weddings. Such businesses also cannot impose a surcharge on persons with a disability who seek to participate in its goods and services.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan M. Warren in Charlotte is handling the matter.

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