Cleveland Agrees to $3 Million Settlement in Water Department Discrimination Case
Cleveland will pay $3 million to settle claims that its water department systematically denied payment plans to residents, including one man who lived without water for six years.
CLEVELAND, OHIO — The city of Cleveland has agreed to pay $3 million to settle a discrimination lawsuit against its water department that alleged residents were denied proper due process when seeking payment plans for overdue bills.
The settlement resolves a 2019 class action lawsuit that highlighted the case of Albert Pickett Jr., who went six years without running water after being denied a payment plan despite his disability status.
Resident Lived Without Water for Six Years
Pickett’s ordeal began in 2013 when he moved back into his childhood home in East Cleveland following a post-stroke spinal fracture. His mother had accumulated approximately $550 in overdue water bill payments.
Despite being on disability, Pickett was denied a payment plan with Cleveland Water. The utility shut off his water service that same year, leaving him without running water until the lawsuit brought attention to his case.
Class Action Alleged Due Process Violations
The lawsuit detailed Pickett’s situation alongside hundreds of other Cleveland Water customers who allegedly faced similar treatment. The case argued that residents were systematically denied proper due process when requesting payment arrangements for their water bills.
According to Cleveland Scene reporter Mark Oprea, the legal action challenged the water department’s practices in handling payment plan requests and utility shutoffs for customers facing financial hardship.
Settlement Terms Address Systemic Issues
The $3 million settlement amount represents the city’s agreement to resolve the class action claims without admitting wrongdoing. The agreement comes more than seven years after the lawsuit was filed and follows years of litigation over the water department’s billing and collection practices.
The case highlighted broader concerns about utility access for low-income and disabled residents in Cleveland, where water shutoffs have disproportionately affected vulnerable populations.
Details about how the settlement funds will be distributed among affected customers and what policy changes Cleveland Water will implement were not immediately available.
