NCLEJ Wins Motion to Compel Discovery in Disability Discrimination Lawsuit 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 8, 2026 
Contact: Patrick Fowler, Communications Strategist | fowler@nclej.org  

ILLINOIS – The National Center for Law and Economic Justice (NCLEJ) moved to compel discovery against Defendants Saiyd Joyce and Next Step Recovery Homes, LLC, a private transitional housing provider, in its lawsuit on behalf of Mark Davenport, a disabled individual who was denied reasonable accommodations while on parole. On October 5, the Court granted NCLEJ’s motion in full.  

Read the motion to compel here. 

Despite receiving multiple deadline extensions, Defendants failed to meet their discovery obligations.  

NCLEJ’s motion sought a court order to compel Defendants to produce discovery responsive to Plaintiff’s requests and to do so in a usable format. NCLEJ’s motion also asked the court to compel Defendants’ counsel to be actively involved in the search for responsive documents and to certify that a reasonable inquiry was made. This was NCLEJ’s second motion to compel written discovery from Defendants.  

At a hearing on October 5, the Court heard the parties’ arguments and granted Plaintiff’s motion in full, giving Defendants until October 13, 2026 to produce all discovery. The Court also awarded Plaintiff reasonable attorney’s fees and costs associated with bringing the motion. 

“The discovery we requested is important to bearing out our client’s claims and vindicating his civil rights. NCLEJ will continue to zealously prosecute discovery on Mr. Davenport’s behalf,” said Taylor Foster, Staff Attorney at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. 

Background:  

Mandatory Supervised Release (“MSR”) is a form of mandatory parole added onto every incarcerated person’s prison sentence in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Corrections (“IDOC”) is required to release incarcerated people on MSR following the term of their imprisonment. People in IDOC custody must have an approved host site to be released on MSR, and loss of one’s host site constitutes a violation of their MSR conditions.  

In February 2025, Mark Davenport completed his sentence of incarceration and was released from prison on MSR. He has multiple chronic health conditions, including degenerative disc disease that causes severe pain and limits major life activities.  

Despite IDOC knowing of Mr. Davenport’s disabilities while incarcerated, IDOC did not ensure his MSR host sites provided him with the disability accommodations he was entitled to receive. In July 2025, IDOC sent Mr. Davenport to MSR host site Next Step Recovery, where he was threatened with eviction after requesting disability accommodations. Mr. Joyce claimed that Next Step Recovery is “not ADA compliant.” 

In November 2025, NCLEJ sued to secure Mr. Davenport his needed accommodations and end IDOC’s discriminatory policies and practices in transitional housing programs. In March 2026, NCLEJ amended the complaint, seeking monetary damages for the disability discrimination to which Mr. Davenport has been subjected.  

Read the amended complaint here.

The National Center for Law and Economic Justice is a legal nonprofit organization that advances disability, racial, and economic justice for low-income families, individuals, and communities across the country through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. Founded in 1965, NCLEJ fights to protect access to critical benefits like food stamps, Medicaid, and childcare, protect low-wage workers’ rights and safety, advocates for the rights of people with disabilities, and fights unlawful debt collection. 

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