Synopsis: SCOTUS denies serial plaintiff’s attempt to dismiss her case and avoid the court’s consideration of a critical legal issue in ADA Title III lawsuits – tester standing.
As we reported several weeks ago, serial plaintiff Deborah Laufer tried to evade the U.S. Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) consideration of a very important legal issue —the standing of
Continue Reading SCOTUS Refuses to Dismiss Acheson Hotels v. Laufer Case Before Oral Argument Set For October 4
By Kristina M. Launey & Minh N. Vu
Seyfarth Synopsis: AB 1757 would adopt WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the de facto standard for websites and mobile apps that can be accessed from California and impose liability for statutory damages on business establishments and website developers.
In a classic gut and amend move mid-way through the Legislative Session, on June
Continue Reading New California Assembly Bill on Website Accessibility Could Result in a Lawsuit Tsunami
By John W. Egan and Minh N. Vu
Seyfarth Synopsis: New York federal courts have generally been friendly to plaintiffs in website accessibility lawsuits, but a few recent decisions are demanding more of plaintiffs to establish standing.
While federal New York courts (particularly the Southern District) have historically been a friendly jurisdiction for ADA website plaintiffs, there have been
Continue Reading Plaintiff-Friendly New York Courts Change Course in Three Recent Decisions in Website Accessibility Cases
By John W. Egan, Dov Kesselman, and Ashley S. Jenkins
A recent “Dear Colleague” letter issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education (OCR) places colleges and universities on notice of recent enforcement activities under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section
Continue Reading OCR and DOJ Send A Message to Higher Ed: Make Your Websites Accessible
By Minh N. Vu
Seyfarth synopsis: A New York federal judge invokes the All Writs Act to dismiss a later-filed website accessibility lawsuit against the same defendant to protect the integrity of an existing consent decree that already requires the defendant to make its website accessible.
Businesses that are sued under Title III of the ADA for allegedly having a
Continue Reading A Consent Decree Can Provide Some Protection Against Future Website Accessibility Lawsuits
By Minh Vu
Seyfarth synopsis: Winn-Dixie has asked the Eleventh Circuit to recall its decision to dismiss the appeal and underlying lawsuit as moot and that the decision be reconsidered by a full panel of Eleventh Circuit judges.
A few weeks ago we reported on the Eleventh Circuit’s decision to dismiss as moot the appeal filed by Winn-Dixie challenging a
Continue Reading Gil v. Winn-Dixie: It’s Not Over Yet
By: Ashley S. Jenkins and Minh N. Vu
Seyfarth Synopsis: Hotels have been fighting a tsunami of hotel reservations website lawsuits with good results so far.
In the past few years, a dozen or so plaintiffs represented by a handful of law firms have sued many hundreds of hotels for allegedly not providing enough accessibility information about their accessible rooms
Continue Reading A Status Update on Hotel Reservations Website Lawsuits
By Lotus Cannon and Minh vu
Seyfarth Synopsis: After holding a consolidated evidentiary hearing, District Judge Brenda K. Sannes concluded that Plaintiff Deborah Laufer did not have standing to bring 17 lawsuits alleging that hotels failed to provide adequate accessibility information on their online reservations systems.
Last month, June 2021, Judge Sannes of the Northern District of New York dismissed
Continue Reading NY Federal Judge Puts the Kibosh on 17 Reservations Website Lawsuits Filed by Same Plaintiff
Seyfarth Synopsis: A recent order from the Eleventh Circuit signals that the court is seriously considering a rehearing in Gil v. Winn-Dixie.
As previously reported, the Eleventh Circuit made waves recently overturning a 2018 Florida federal court’s trial verdict ruling that Winn Dixie’s inaccessible website violated the ADA. On April 15, the plaintiff filed a Petition
Continue Reading Winn Dixie Saga Continues: Eleventh Circuit Actively Considering Rehearing Request
Seyfarth Synopsis: A second California Court of Appeal rules that websites with a nexus to a physical place of business are covered by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, while a California trial court insists that online-only websites are covered as well, contradicting the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
On June 18, 2020, the California
Continue Reading California State Courts Continue to Issue Pro-Plaintiff Decisions in Website Accessibility Cases