ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: Pet Wellness Retailer

Thuy Thanh Alonzo has filed a class action lawsuit against an online pet wellness retailer in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on September 30, 2021. Represented by Wilshire Law Firm, the plaintiff, who is visually impaired and legally blind, alleges that the retailer’s website is inaccessible to individuals who use screen-reading software.

The complaint specifically alleges numerous Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) violations. These include the lack of alternative text for non-text elements and linked images, empty links without descriptive text, and redundant links. Further barriers cited are missing title frames for identification and navigation, equivalent text not provided for scripts, and inaccessible forms. The website also reportedly prevents text resizing, enforces time limits without user control, lacks descriptive page titles, and has unclear link purposes. Other issues include indiscernible keyboard focus indicators, undetermined default human language, and inappropriate context changes when components receive focus. Furthermore, problems with user input labels, incomplete/nested markup language elements, duplicate attributes/IDs, inaccessible PDFs, and programmatically undetermined user interface elements are noted.

This lawsuit highlights the significant legal risks faced by businesses operating e-commerce platforms that fail to meet digital accessibility standards. Companies in the pet supply and other online retail sectors must ensure their websites are fully navigable and usable by individuals with disabilities, including those who rely on screen-reading software, to avoid similar litigation under the Americans with Disabilities Act Title III and state-level civil rights acts.