Current and Former Yale Students with Mental Health Disabilities File Class Action Lawsuit to Change Discriminatory University Policies

Yale University has, for decades, treated unequally and failed to accommodate students with mental health disabilities, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Connecticut on behalf of students at Yale University, the organization Elis for Rachael, Inc. and a proposed class, seeking court action to “remedy Yale University’s systemic discrimination against students with mental health disabilities.”  

The 41-page lawsuit alleges that Yale, through failure to make reasonable modifications to policies, “discriminates against students with mental health disabilities in a variety of ways,” in violation of federal law. The lawsuit alleges that Yale’s policies are in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Fair Housing Act, and Affordable Care Act.

The case, Elis for Rachael, Inc., et al.  v. Yale University, et al., No. 22-cv-1517, was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Maia Goodell, who leads Vladeck’s Disability Rights and Justice practice, represents the plaintiffs, with co-counsel Disability Rights Connecticut and the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.