ACLU settles lawsuit with Maplewood

ST. LOUIS (AP) – A St. Louis suburb will revise a law that allowed for eviction of residents who made repeated emergency calls after a lawsuit alleged that the ordinance punished victims of domestic violence.

The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday announced the settlement of its lawsuit against Maplewood, Missouri. The city agreed to amend its nuisance ordinance so that crime victims no longer face the threat of fines or eviction. It also agreed to pay $137,000 to Rosetta Watson. She was evicted after repeated 911 calls about an abusive boyfriend.

City Manager Marty Corcoran told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the city settled the lawsuit to avoid legal costs.

The ACLU says it successfully challenged similar laws in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and Surprise, Arizona, but other jurisdictions have them, too.