ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: Online Skincare Retailer
Plaintiff's Firm: LAW OFFICE OF AMANDA BENEDICT
Case Summary
RICHARD COOKS, represented by the LAW OFFICE OF AMANDA BENEDICT, filed a class action lawsuit against an online skincare retailer in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on February 3, 2020.
The complaint alleges numerous WCAG violations, including the absence of alt text for graphical images, missing label and title attributes for fields, broken links, lack of visible keyboard focus indicators, and failure to programmatically determine the human language of web pages. Further violations cited include the inability to resize text without losing functionality, no mechanism to bypass repeated content, incorrect reading sequences, and various markup language errors preventing assistive technology from determining UI element names and roles.
This legal action highlights the critical importance for all businesses operating e-commerce websites to ensure their digital platforms are fully accessible to visually impaired users. Failure to comply with ADA Title III and state accessibility laws, such as California's Unruh Civil Rights Act, can lead to significant litigation, requiring injunctive relief, statutory damages, and attorney's fees.
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Case Q&A
What specific WCAG violations is this online skincare retailer accused of?
The online retailer is accused of lacking alt text for images, failing to provide label and title attributes for fields, having broken links, not displaying visible keyboard focus indicators, and issues with programmatically determining web page language and UI element roles.
Who filed this lawsuit, and which law firm?
RICHARD COOKS filed this lawsuit, represented by the LAW OFFICE OF AMANDA BENEDICT.
What legal risk does this create?
This creates a legal risk for other businesses with online platforms, as they could face similar lawsuits under ADA Title III and state laws if their websites are not fully accessible to visually impaired individuals, potentially incurring injunctive relief, damages, and legal costs.