ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: Vehicle Rental Service
Plaintiff's Firm: CENTER FOR DISABILITY ACCESS
Case Summary
Andres Gomez, a visually-impaired individual, has filed a lawsuit against an online vehicle rental service in the United States District Court, Central District of California, on August 3, 2020. Represented by CENTER FOR DISABILITY ACCESS, Gomez alleges that the defendant's website presents significant accessibility barriers for users relying on screen-reader software.
The complaint specifically details several WCAG violations, including the lack of a function to adjust the website format for screen readers or font sizes, numerous images missing text equivalents, the presence of empty buttons, headings, and links that impede screen reader navigation, and form controls that lack corresponding labels. Additionally, the website is accused of having impermissibly low contrast between background and foreground elements, making content difficult to differentiate for visually-impaired users.
This lawsuit highlights the ongoing legal risks for online vehicle rental services and other businesses whose digital platforms fail to meet federal accessibility standards, potentially leading to similar litigation and demands for injunctive relief and damages for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and California's Unruh Civil Rights Act.
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Case Q&A
What specific WCAG violations is this online vehicle rental service accused of?
The complaint alleges a lack of a button/link/function to adjust website format for screen readers or font, numerous images lacking text equivalents, empty buttons, headings, and links that impede screen reader navigation, form controls without corresponding labels, and impermissibly low contrast between background and foreground elements.
Who filed this lawsuit, and which law firm represents them?
Andres Gomez filed this lawsuit, represented by the law firm CENTER FOR DISABILITY ACCESS.
What legal risk does this type of lawsuit create for similar businesses?
Businesses operating online platforms risk litigation under the Americans with Disabilities Act and state civil rights laws if their websites are not fully accessible to disabled users, potentially incurring significant legal costs, damages, and requirements for extensive digital remediation to achieve WCAG 2.0 AA compliance.