ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: Mobile Furniture Retailer

Plaintiff Aishia Petersen, represented by ACACIA BARROS, P.A., filed a federal lawsuit against an online furniture retailer in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, on December 17, 2020. The complaint alleges that the retailer's mobile application is not fully accessible to visually impaired consumers, violating Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The plaintiff seeks permanent injunctive relief to compel the defendant to bring its mobile application into full compliance with ADA requirements and relevant regulations.

The lawsuit specifically details several alleged WCAG violations, including banners and images lacking readable labels (no audio), the "Shop by Department" feature proving dysfunctional for blind users, duplicate prices for sale products without clear labels, missing audio cues for "Add to Cart" functionality, and images lacking accessible names or having identical descriptions. Furthermore, the mobile application's input fields, such as the zip code field, provide a full keyboard instead of a numeric-only keypad, and text informing users of sales (e.g., "50% off sale") is part of an image, rendering it inaccessible to screen reader users. Technical barriers like duplicate IDs and semantically incorrect button/element relationships were also cited.

This legal action underscores the imperative for businesses offering digital platforms, especially e-commerce mobile applications linked to physical public accommodations, to ensure their online presence strictly adheres to ADA Title III and WCAG 2.1 A accessibility standards. Non-compliance exposes companies in similar industries to substantial legal repercussions, including demands for permanent injunctions, recovery of attorneys' fees, court costs, and expert fees, for failing to provide equal access and effective communication to individuals with disabilities.