ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: An Online Office Furniture Retailer
Plaintiff's Firm: WILSHIRE LAW FIRM
Case Summary
Portia Mason has filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on August 19, 2021, against an online office furniture retailer. The complaint alleges that the retailer's website fails to provide full and equal access to visually-impaired individuals who rely on screen-reading software, thereby denying them access to goods, services, and information.
The complaint details numerous accessibility barriers, including the lack of alternative text for non-text elements and linked images, preventing screen readers from vocalizing descriptions. Other violations cited are title frames without navigation text, absent equivalent text for scripts, non-resizable text, and forms without sighted functionality. Further issues include web pages lacking descriptive titles, unclear link purposes, non-discernible keyboard focus indicators, and the absence of labels or instructions for user input. Additionally, the website is alleged to have issues with markup language integrity, inaccessible PDFs, and programmatically undeterminable user interface element roles and states.
This action highlights the ongoing legal risk for online businesses that fail to maintain ADA Title III and Unruh Civil Rights Act compliance for their digital platforms. Businesses operating e-commerce websites, especially those with physical locations, must ensure their online services are fully accessible to all users, including those with visual impairments, to avoid similar litigation and potential injunctive relief or statutory damages.
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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 images, empty links, redundant links, and linked images without alt-text. Further allegations involve inaccessible forms, non-resizable text, pages lacking titles, and user interface elements that cannot be programmatically determined by screen readers.
Who filed this lawsuit, and which law firm?
The lawsuit was filed by Portia Mason, and the plaintiff is represented by Wilshire Law Firm.
What legal risk does this create?
This case underscores the legal risk for any online business, particularly those with physical storefronts, that do not ensure their websites are fully accessible to individuals with disabilities, potentially leading to similar lawsuits, injunctive orders, and statutory damages under ADA Title III and state civil rights acts.