January 25, 2026

Community Legal Aid Announces Settlement in Housing Discrimination Case Against Lincoln Village Apartments

BY Michelin C. Cahill, Senior Supervising Attorney – Fair HousingCommunity Legal Aid

WORCESTER, MA – Community Legal Aid is pleased to announce that a comprehensive settlement has been reached in a case against the owners of and management company for Lincoln Village Apartments, a large housing complex consisting of 1,200 units in four high-rise buildings and several townhouses located at 52 Country Club Boulevard, Worcester. Community Legal Aid represented six individuals, all of whom are low-income people with disabilities. In the case, all six alleged the owners of Lincoln Village Apartments and its management company, Carabetta Companies, engaged in unlawful housing discrimination.

Jennifer Lopez, et al v. Lincoln Street Realty Company, et al
CIVIL ACTION NO. 4:23-cv-40176-DHH

The complaint detailed allegations that the defendants failed to properly recognize and protect the rights of tenants with disabilities, and also violated the tenants’ rights under state law by failing to provide reliable elevator access, leaving people stranded on upper floors of the high rise or unable to return to their apartments. Under the agreement, approved by Federal Magistrate Judge David Hennessyon January 9, 2026, Community Legal Aid’s clients will receive a monetary settlement to compensate them for the harm they suffered.

The case, first filed in December 2023, also sought injunctive relief against the defendants to halt potential further discrimination against other disabled and elderly residents living in Lincoln Village. Community Legal Aid’s attorneys will also monitor Lincoln Village for a period of time to ensure that it is adhering to the terms of the court-approved settlement agreement. Lincoln Village also agreed to widespread changes that will impact all of their residents. Under the terms of the settlement, Lincoln Village has agreed to provide its employees with training on federal and state anti-discrimination laws, and to review and update its existing reasonable accommodation policies.

Michelin C. Cahill, Senior Supervising Attorney for Community Legal Aid’s Fair Housing Project, leads a team of attorneys and staff that help tenants fight illegal housing discrimination. Attorney Cahill commented,

“As experienced fair housing advocates, unfortunately we’ve found ourselves working with Lincoln Village tenants often. We kept hearing the same pattern over and over: a disabled tenant being ignored or wrongly denied accommodations that would provide them equal access to their housing. The owners and managers of Lincoln Village likely got away with operating this way for so long because many of their tenants don’t have the resources to take a stand, or didn’t want to risk damaging their relationship with their landlord at a time when so many struggle to find affordable housing. In this case, our six plaintiffs bravely came forward to ensure their neighbors didn’t face the same discrimination that they had. Through this lawsuit they demanded safety and dignity in their housing and for their neighbors.”

In addition to Attorney Cahill, the staff who worked hard to achieve this result includes Litigation Director Jane Edmonstone, Deputy Litigation Director Alycia Kennedy, Staff Attorney Taylor Largmann, and Fair Housing Testing Coordinator Sofia McGrath.

About Community Legal Aid: Community Legal Aid provides free civil legal services to the low-income and elderly residents of the five counties of Western and Central Massachusetts (Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester), and maintains offices in Pittsfield, North Adams, Worcester, Fitchburg, Springfield, Greenfield, and Northampton.

Community Legal Aid works to assure fairness for all in the justice system, protecting homes, livelihoods, health and families. For more information, please visit www.communitylegal.org. To apply for Community Legal Aid’s services, call (855) 252-5342 or visit https://communitylegal.org/get-help/.