Seyfarth Synopsis: The Justice Department withdraws pending rulemakings for accessible websites, furniture and non-fixed equipment.The current Department of Justice’s (DOJ) regulatory approach to Title III of the ADA is yet...more
12/22/2017
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Deregulation ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Public Accommodation ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Title III ,
Trump Administration ,
Website Accessibility ,
Website Owner Liability ,
Websites
Seyfarth Synopsis: In denying Dave & Buster’s motion to dismiss and for summary judgment, a federal judge said that telephonic access might be an alternative to having an accessible website, but cannot decide until the...more
10/18/2017
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dave & Buster's ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Franchises ,
Internet ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Public Accommodation ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Summary Judgment ,
Telecommunications ,
Title III ,
Website Accessibility ,
Websites
Seyfarth Synopsis: Two New York federal judges recently said that the ADA covers websites (even those not connected to a physical place) and one held that working on improving the accessibility of one’s website does not make...more
8/8/2017
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hobby Lobby ,
Public Accommodation ,
Rewards Programs ,
Title III ,
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ,
Website Accessibility ,
Website Owner Liability ,
Websites ,
Winn-Dixie Stores
Seyfarth Synopsis: Trump Administration’s first Unified Agenda reveals DOJ has placed web accessibility, medical equipment, and furniture rulemakings under Title II and III of the ADA on Inactive List....more
7/21/2017
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Medical Devices ,
Public Accommodation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Title II ,
Title III ,
Trump Administration ,
Website Accessibility ,
Websites
Seyfarth Synopsis: A federal judge in the Central District of California has allowed a blind plaintiff to continue his lawsuit about the accessibility of a public accommodation’s website under Title III of the ADA, despite...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Today’s first impression trial verdict finding retailer Winn-Dixie liable under Title III of the ADA for having an inaccessible website suggests that public accommodations should focus on their website...more
6/14/2017
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Grocery Stores ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Public Accommodation ,
Title III ,
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ,
Website Accessibility ,
Website Owner Liability ,
Websites ,
Winn-Dixie Stores
Seyfarth Synopsis: The first trial under the ADA about the accessibility of a public accommodation’s website took place last week in the Southern District of Florida.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Robert Scola presided...more
The increase of ADA Title III lawsuits in federal court shows no signs of stopping. From January 1 through April 30, 2017, 2629 lawsuits were filed — 412 more than during the same period in 2016....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Two Florida federal district court judges require websites to have a “nexus” to a physical location for coverage under Title III of the ADA, but a third judge requires more....more
Two recent decisions by federal judges to dismiss website accessibility lawsuits may cause more public accommodations to fight instead of settle these suits, but businesses must continue to weigh many factors before making...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: An executive order from President Trump will likely halt the Justice Department’s public accommodations website rulemaking.
President Obama’s Department of Justice (DOJ) had stated that proposed...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: With the recent proliferation of web accessibility demand letters and lawsuits, businesses often ask whether settling a claim with one plaintiff will bar future lawsuits brought by different plaintiffs. One...more
Seyfarth synopsis: A Florida Judge Holds that SeaWorld’s website is not a place of public accommodation covered by Title III of the ADA but the decision has its limits....more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The number of federal ADA Title III lawsuits continue to surge, fueled by new plaintiffs, new plaintiffs’ lawyers, and website accessibility claims.
Our 2016 lawsuit count is complete, and the results...more
Seyfarth synopsis: The federal government has adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Levels A and AA as its accessibility standard for federal agency websites, making it very likely that the Department of...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: DOJ announces that proposed rules for state and local government websites will issue July 2017.
The DOJ announced last week in the federal government’s Unified Agenda that it will be issuing a...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Our thoughts on the impact of the election on the ADA Title III landscape.
We now know that January 20, 2017 will bring a definitive regime change. How will this change impact Title III of the ADA,...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The number of federal lawsuits alleging inaccessible websites continues to increase, along with the number of law firms filing them. Businesses should seek advice now on how to manage risk in this chaotic...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The number of federal lawsuits alleging inaccessible websites continues to increase, along with the number of law firms filing them. Businesses need advice now on how to manage risk in this chaotic...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: DOJ announced today an extension to October 7, 2016 for the public to submit comments on the SANPRM for state and local government websites.
In May of this year the Department of Justice surprised us...more
In honor of the 26th anniversary of the ADA, we are sharing our mid-year count of ADA Title III lawsuits for 2016 and it’s newsworthy: The number of lawsuits filed in federal court is already at 3,435, up 63% from last...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: New Affordable Care Act and Medicaid Regulations will require covered entities providing health care programs and services have accessible electronic information technology, including accessible...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: If you would rather not read the 30-page small print Federal Register notice, this summary will provide you with what you need to know about the Justice Department’s most recent official pronouncement on...more
5/23/2016
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Mobile Apps ,
Public Accommodation ,
Social Media ,
Title II ,
Title III ,
Undue Burden ,
Website Accessibility
Seyfarth Synopsis: Public entities and private businesses have been waiting for years – since 2010 – for the Department of Justice to issue regulations setting a standard for website accessibility. The DOJ has announced that...more
Website accessibility is an evolving and complicated topic, about which we’ve written many times. Thanks to delayed regulations and the Department of Justice’s changing positions on the issue, businesses have been caught off...more