ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: Restaurant Chain's Mobile Application
Plaintiff's Firm: ACACIA BARROS, P.A.
Case Summary
Plaintiff Aishia Petersen, a legally blind individual, has filed an ADA Title III lawsuit against a national restaurant chain's mobile application. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, on April 5, 2021, alleging that the mobile app denies her full and equal access to the goods and services offered by the business.
The lawsuit specifically details multiple WCAG violations, including sign-up fields that generically announce "text field" instead of specific labels, food menu images lacking label descriptions for screen readers, a shopping cart that only announces the number of items without full context, and reward fields also announcing generic "text field." Further issues cited include pick-up time field forms missing label descriptions, a general failure to meet WCAG 2.1 A level accessibility, lack of keyboard-only accessibility, video content without accessible controls, form error messages that are visually displayed but neither announced nor given keyboard-focus, and mobile app buttons lacking proper roles for screen reader compatibility.
This case highlights significant legal risks for businesses operating mobile applications or similar digital platforms. Any such platform serving the general public that fails to integrate adequate accessibility features for visually impaired users, thereby denying them equal access to goods and services, may face similar injunctive relief lawsuits under ADA Title III to mandate compliance.
Unlock Full Intelligence Report
Obtain the technical WCAG violation analysis, target metadata, and legal stakes for Case #.
Case Q&A
What specific WCAG violations is this restaurant chain's mobile application accused of?
The mobile application is accused of having sign-up fields that announce generic "text field" instead of specific labels, food menu images without label descriptions for Voiceover, a shopping cart that only announces item count without proper identification, reward fields announcing generic "text field," pick-up time forms lacking label descriptions, a general failure to meet WCAG 2.1 A level, lack of keyboard-only accessibility, video without accessible controls, form error messages that are not announced or given keyboard-focus, and buttons without proper roles for screen readers.
Who filed this lawsuit, and which law firm?
Aishia Petersen, a legally blind individual, filed this lawsuit, represented by Acacia Barros, P.
What legal risk does this create?
This case highlights the legal risk for businesses with mobile applications or digital platforms that do not provide full and equal access to visually impaired users, as they may face ADA Title III lawsuits seeking injunctive relief to mandate accessibility improvements.