ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: Luxury Jewelry Retailer
Plaintiff's Firm: WILSHIRE LAW FIRM
Case Summary
Portia Mason, a visually-impaired individual, individually and on behalf of a proposed class, has filed an ADA Title III website accessibility lawsuit against an online luxury jewelry retailer. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on June 15, 2021.
The lawsuit alleges numerous WCAG 2.1 violations, including the lack of alternative text for non-text elements and linked images, empty links without descriptive text, and redundant links. Other reported barriers include web pages lacking descriptive titles, inaccessible forms, text that cannot be resized without functionality loss, and enforced time limits without user control. Furthermore, the complaint highlights issues with unclear link purposes, a missing keyboard focus indicator, and inaccessible Portable Document Format (PDFs).
This action underscores the significant legal risks faced by an online luxury jewelry retailer whose digital platforms are not fully accessible to disabled users, particularly those who rely on screen-reading software. Businesses in similar industries must ensure their websites adhere to established accessibility guidelines, such as WCAG 2.1, to avoid potential lawsuits and ensure equal access to all consumers.
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Case Q&A
What specific WCAG violations is this luxury jewelry retailer accused of?
This luxury jewelry retailer is accused of numerous WCAG violations, including missing alternative text for images and non-text elements, empty and redundant links, and a lack of descriptive page titles. Other barriers involve inaccessible forms, text that cannot be resized, enforced time limits without user control, and issues with keyboard navigation due to a missing focus indicator. The complaint also highlights problems with programmatically determining the default human language, unannounced context changes, missing labels for user input, and inaccessible Portable Document Format (PDFs).
Who filed this lawsuit, and which law firm?
This lawsuit was filed by Portia Mason, represented by WILSHIRE LAW FIRM.
What legal risk does this create?
This creates a legal risk for an online luxury jewelry retailer and similar businesses of facing lawsuits under ADA Title III and state civil rights acts if their websites are not fully accessible to visually-impaired individuals, leading to demands for injunctive relief and statutory damages.