ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: Online Art Gallery
Plaintiff's Firm: WILSHIRE LAW FIRM
Case Summary
Plaintiff Thuy Thanh Alonzo has filed a class action lawsuit against an online art gallery in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on August 11, 2021. The plaintiff, who is legally blind and visually-impaired, alleges that the online art gallery's website is not fully and equally accessible to her and other blind or visually-impaired individuals, thereby denying them full access to its products and services.
The complaint specifically alleges numerous accessibility barriers on the defendant's website. These include a lack of alternative text (alt-text) for graphics and images, which prevents screen-readers from vocalizing descriptions of visual content. Additionally, there are empty links without descriptive text, redundant links leading to the same URL, and linked images missing alt-text, which hinder screen reader functionality and user navigation. Other alleged barriers include a lack of text equivalents for non-text elements, unidentifiable title frames for navigation, missing equivalent text for scripts, forms not mirroring functionality for sighted persons, and content not conveying meaning beyond visual presentation.
This action highlights the significant legal risks faced by online businesses that fail to ensure their digital platforms comply with ADA Title III and WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Similar online art galleries and e-commerce websites must proactively audit and remediate their platforms to remove accessibility barriers for visually-impaired users, or they may face similar class action lawsuits seeking injunctive relief, statutory damages, attorney fees, and costs under federal and state disability laws.
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Case Q&A
What specific WCAG violations is this online art gallery accused of?
The online art gallery is accused of having a lack of alternative text (alt-text) for non-text elements, empty links without descriptive text, redundant links, and linked images missing alt-text. Other issues include unidentifiable title frames for navigation, missing equivalent text for scripts, forms not mirroring functionality for sighted users, and content not conveying meaning beyond visual presentation.
Who filed this lawsuit, and which law firm?
Plaintiff Thuy Thanh Alonzo filed this lawsuit, represented by Wilshire Law Firm.
What legal risk does this create?
This case underscores the legal liability for online art galleries and other digital platforms that do not provide full and equal access for visually-impaired individuals. Businesses must ensure their websites are accessible to avoid potential class action lawsuits, injunctive relief, and statutory damages under ADA Title III and related state laws.