Sedona Resident Files $3.5M Notice of Claim Alleging ADA and Civil Rights Violations

Investigative |

The City of Sedona is facing formal legal action after a local resident filed a Notice of Claim seeking $3.5 million in damages and alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other civil rights protections. The filing names the City of Sedona along with senior officials, including the City Manager, City Attorney, and members of the Parks and Recreation Department.

Under Arizona law, a Notice of Claim is a mandatory first step before a lawsuit can be filed against a public entity. Filed this week, the Notice accuses city leadership of erecting systemic barriers that denied the claimant, who lives with multiple disabilities, equal access to public facilities and obstructed efforts to organize new community events.

According to the Notice, city staff not only failed to provide booking and records information, but also ignored repeated disability accommodation requests. These actions, the filing states, inflicted significant harm by aggravating the claimant’s medical conditions, causing severe economic loss and inseparable physical and emotional distress. Ultimately, this conduct excluded him and his son from public spaces and opportunities meant to serve all Sedona residents.

If the City does not settle within 60 days, the claimant has stated he will pursue litigation in both state and federal court. The Notice specifies $3.5 million in damages for the state-level claims, but according to Alex Rowan of NDF Legal Offices, who has been assisting with the case, the combined federal and state complaint is expected to seek damages in the tens of millions.

The Notice of Claim signals the beginning of what could become a high-stakes legal battle over disability access, transparency, and equal participation in Sedona’s local government.

City officials have not yet issued a response.

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