A Lawrence man who sued Casey's General Stores Inc. because of inaccessibility said he was pleased with the settlement.
A convenience store chain has agreed to make its stores more accessible to wheelchair users as part of a class-action lawsuit settlement in which a Lawrence man is a plaintiff.
Casey's General Stores Inc. of Ankeny, Iowa, has agreed to make its stores' rest rooms more accessible; reduce small steps at entryways; upgrade parking, ramps and sidewalks; and develop policies for store staff about serving customers with disabilities.
The settlement was the result of a class-action lawsuit filed against the convenience store chain that claimed the chain discriminated against people with disabilities, according to Kansas Advocacy and Protective Services Inc., which represented the plaintiffs and issued a press release about the settlement.
The improvements are to be completed in three years, said Scott Letts, an attorney for KAPS, which provides legal, administrative and other advocacy services to protect the rights of people with disabilities.
The case was filed in federal court in Kansas in 1998.
Robert Mikesic of Lawrence, along with Benjamin Crousore of Emporia, are named as plaintiffs in the case. They both used wheelchairs.
Mikesic said he was pleased with the settlement.
"I was very pleased with the scope and the number of stores that will have accessibility requirements," he said.
"Certainly all the communities are going to benefit from this, especially because, in a lot of small towns, Casey's is the only store."
Mikesic said he originally tried to talk to Casey's executives after he stopped at one of their stores while traveling a few years ago in Council Grove and had trouble entering the store. He also was unable to use the rest room.
He said a regional manager would not talk to him about his concerns.
"They weren't really open to talking about it," he said. "We felt like it (the lawsuit) was necessary to get them to address the issue."
U.S. District Judge Richard Rogers approved a consent decree on Thursday on the settlement.
The settlement will affect all 900 Casey's General Stores in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.
-- Michael Dekker's phone message number is 832-7187. His e-mail address is mdekker@ljworld.com.
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