ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: Shopping Center Website Operator

Plaintiff Portia Mason, represented by Wilshire Law Firm, filed a class action lawsuit against a shopping center operator in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on April 26, 2021. The plaintiff, who is visually impaired and legally blind, alleges that the defendant's website is not fully accessible using screen reading software.

The complaint details multiple accessibility barriers on the defendant's e-commerce website, including a lack of alternative text for non-text elements and images, empty links that contain no descriptive text, redundant links leading to the same URL, and issues where keyboard operable user interfaces lack discernible focus indicators. Additionally, the lawsuit points to inaccessible Portable Document Format (PDFs) and user interface elements whose names, roles, and values cannot be programmatically determined, all of which prevent visually impaired users from accessing information and services.

This legal action underscores the critical importance for all businesses, especially those associated with public accommodations, to ensure their digital platforms adhere to accessibility standards like WCAG 2.1. Non-compliance risks significant legal exposure under ADA Title III and state civil rights acts, potentially resulting in demands for injunctive relief to remediate the website, statutory damages, and attorneys' fees.