ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: a crafthouse chain
Plaintiff's Firm: WILSHIRE LAW FIRM
Case Summary
Plaintiff Darren Gresham filed a class action lawsuit against a crafthouse chain in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on December 15, 2020. The complaint asserts violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and California's Unruh Civil Rights Act, alleging that the defendant's website is inaccessible to blind and visually impaired individuals.
The complaint specifies numerous accessibility barriers, including a lack of alternative text for graphics and images, empty links, redundant links, and linked images missing alt-text. Other alleged violations include the absence of text equivalents for non-text elements, unidentifiable title frames for navigation, inaccessible forms, limitations on text resizing, and a keyboard operable user interface that lacks a discernible focus indicator. Furthermore, the website reportedly contains inaccessible Portable Document Format (PDFs) and fails to programmatically determine the name and role of user interface elements.
This litigation underscores the ongoing legal imperative for businesses operating digital platforms to ensure full accessibility for disabled users. Companies that fail to comply with established accessibility standards, such as WCAG 2.1, face substantial legal risks, including potential permanent injunctions, statutory damages, and significant legal fees, emphasizing the necessity of proactive digital accessibility remediation.
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Case Q&A
What specific WCAG violations is this crafthouse chain accused of?
The crafthouse chain's website is accused of lacking alternative text for images, containing empty and redundant links, having inaccessible Portable Document Format (PDFs), and issues with keyboard operability where the focus indicator is indiscernible.
Who filed this lawsuit, and which law firm?
Plaintiff Darren Gresham filed this lawsuit, represented by Wilshire Law Firm.
What legal risk does this create?
This case demonstrates that businesses with inaccessible websites face legal action under the ADA Title III, potentially leading to injunctions, statutory damages, and legal costs for failing to provide equal digital access to disabled users.