In one of the most consequential decisions for veterans in our country’s history, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has upheld the landmark decision by U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter in a class action lawsuit requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to build thousands of supportive housing units for homeless, disabled veterans on its West Los Angeles campus. The ruling could help eliminate veteran homelessness in LA, the homeless veterans’ capital of the United States, and marks an important step towards ending veteran homeless in the US entirely.
The initial complaint, filed in November 2022, asked for an order giving the agency six months to create over 3,500 permanent supportive housing units for veterans with disabilities on or near the West LA VA campus. It also demanded that portions of the campus currently leased to other entities would be used primarily for veterans. Plaintiffs are represented by Brown Goldstein & Levy partners Eve Hill and Jamie Strawbridge, along with a team of civil rights attorneys and advocates.
On December 23, the three-judge panel unanimously upheld the district court’s decision that the VA’s failure to provide housing on its West Los Angeles campus violates Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Olmstead integration mandate. Moreover, the Court maintained that the VA’s leases to the Brentwood School and Bridgeland gas company are void, because they violate the applicable leasing law. The Ninth Circuit only disagreed with the district court on two issues, reversing the invalidation of the University of California, Los Angeles’s baseball stadium lease and holding that the Department of Housing and Urban Development is not responsible for the VA’s Section 504 violations.
This lawsuit was built on promises that the VA made in a 2015 settlement with 10 veterans with severe disabilities. At the time, the VA agreed to provide housing and supportive services for veterans, setting a goal of 770 housing units by 2022. However, at the time of filing in 2022, only 54 of the promised 770 housing units had been completed.
“I’m proud to stand with our clients and with all Americans who demand these veterans receive the supportive housing and healthcare they deserve,” Eve Hill said of the case in February 2024.
ABOUT EVE HILL
Eve Hill is one of the nation’s leading civil rights lawyers, known especially for her work with clients with disabilities and LGBTQ+ clients. She has been recognized by Law360 as one of just 12 “Titans of the Plaintiffs’ Bar” for 2023, as well as by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2022-2025). Her wide-ranging experience complements Brown, Goldstein & Levy’s decades of dedication to high-impact disability rights cases and its advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities and their families. Eve chairs the Board of Trustees for the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, a national legal advocacy organization advancing and protecting the civil rights of adults and children with mental illness. Eve also leads Inclusivity, BGL’s Strategic Consulting Group, which works with organizations to promote the education, engagement, and employment of people with disabilities. Learn more about Eve here.
ABOUT JAMIE STRAWBRIDGE
Jamie Strawbridge’s practice focuses on representing individuals with disabilities in claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act. He also has significant experience representing tenants in housing-related cases. He has represented plaintiffs in class actions challenging illegal fees assessed by landlords and lawsuits alleging sub-standard living conditions and housing discrimination. He also has defended tenants in eviction proceedings; and fought to preserve individuals’ housing-related benefits in administrative actions. Learn more about Jamie here.
ABOUT BROWN GOLDSTEIN & LEVY
Founded in 1982, Brown Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, D.C. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.
PLEASE FIND MEDIA COVERAGE BELOW
Appeals court affirms federal judge’s order to build housing on the VA’s West Los Angeles campus | Los Angeles Times (December 23, 2025)
Ninth Circuit upholds order for Veterans Affairs to build housing in West LA | Courthouse News Service (December 23, 2025)
Federal Court Orders Sweeping Action to End Veteran Homelessness | Public Counsel (December 24, 2025)
Appeals court upholds landmark ruling in homeless veterans lawsuit against the VA | Home of the Brave (December 24, 2025)
Landmark court ruling orders VA to build housing for veterans on its West LA campus | Texas Public Radio (December 25, 2025)