Settlement Agreement between the United States and the Palm Springs Art Museum (DOJ complaint 202-12C-523)

Summary

A California museum settlement following two complaints, including a faulty film-listening device, required free receivers, working equipment, signs, training and complaint handling across three facilities.

Key findings

• The agreement took effect on the last signature, 22 March 2018, and covered three museum facilities in Palm Springs and Palm Desert, California, for three years unless extended.
• One complaint, dated 7 January 2015, concerned the absence of a properly functioning assistive listening device for a film. A separate complaint concerned access to an audio tour. The US Attorney’s Office found failures to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services; the parties settled to avoid litigation.
• Under the specific remedial measures, within four months the museum had to furnish listening devices free of charge and provide receivers equal to at least 4% of fixed seats in each theatre and lecture hall, with 25% of those receivers hearing-aid compatible.
• The museum had to maintain accessible equipment in working order, post at least one availability sign at each museum’s ticket desk or booth, and state on its website that auxiliary aids were available and how to request them.
• The agreement required a designated access officer, a complaint-resolution policy submitted within thirty days and implemented within thirty days of approval, supervisor and manager training within sixty days, and training for new supervisors and managers within thirty days of hire or promotion.
• Annual reports to the US Attorney’s Office had to document changes, training and adopted policies. The agreement permitted inspections and court enforcement if unresolved failures occurred.

Limits

The agreement includes other communication aids outside this library’s main scope. Its 4% receiver term is reported as the museum’s settlement obligation; it is not presented as a general restatement of Table 219.3. The signed dates establish March 2018 despite the archive page’s later footer date. No later performance audit was read.

Read the original

archive.ada.gov/palm_springs_museum_sa.html

Link checked 13 October 2026. We link to the original and do not host copies.

Cited in

• What do complaints, settlements and court cases say about assistive listening?Partly answered

Cite this source

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