ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: Online Furniture Retailer
Plaintiff's Firm: WILSHIRE LAW FIRM
Case Summary
Plaintiff THUY THANH ALONZO, represented by WILSHIRE LAW FIRM, filed a class action complaint against an online furniture retailer in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on August 16, 2021. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III and California's Unruh Civil Rights Act due to the inaccessibility of the online furniture retailer's website for blind and visually impaired individuals.
The complaint specifically details multiple accessibility barriers, including a lack of alternative text for non-text elements and linked images, missing title frames and web page titles for identification, forms lacking equivalent functionality for sighted users, and issues with content structure only conveyed visually. Further allegations include keyboard operability failures (such as indiscernible keyboard focus indicators), problems with programmatically determining link purposes and default human language, the presence of empty and redundant links, and inaccessible Portable Document Format (PDFs).
This lawsuit highlights the significant legal risks faced by online businesses, particularly e-commerce platforms, that fail to ensure their digital presence complies with WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Non-compliance can lead to demands for permanent injunctions, substantial statutory damages, and recovery of attorneys' fees and costs, impacting similar businesses that cater to the public through their websites.
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Case Q&A
What specific WCAG violations is this online furniture retailer accused of?
The online furniture retailer is accused of numerous WCAG violations, including missing alternative text for non-text elements and linked images, absent title frames and web page titles, inaccessible forms, keyboard operability failures, issues with text resizing, content structure, link purposes, default human language, and inaccessible Portable Document Format (PDFs).
Who filed this lawsuit, and which law firm?
The lawsuit was filed by THUY THANH ALONZO, and the plaintiff is represented by WILSHIRE LAW FIRM.
What legal risk does this create?
This lawsuit creates significant legal risks for online businesses regarding ADA Title III compliance, potentially leading to permanent injunctions requiring website modifications, statutory damages, and the payment of attorneys' fees and costs for non-accessible digital platforms.