ADA Website Accessibility Lawsuit: An online athletic footwear and apparel retailer
Plaintiff's Firm: ACACIA BARROS, P.A.
Case Summary
Raymond T. Mahlberg has filed an ADA Title III lawsuit against an online athletic footwear and apparel retailer in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida on May 25, 2022. The complaint alleges that the retailer's e-commerce website is not fully or equally accessible to blind or visually impaired consumers, thereby violating federal accessibility laws.
The lawsuit specifically cites several accessibility barriers on the website. These include the store locator feature having poor contrast and announcing numbers incorrectly via screen-reader, product images with duplicate ID labels causing repetitive announcements and skipping of price/color/size information, all product images sharing the same generic link name description, homepage images lacking alt descriptions and skipping to "Shop Now" links, unannounced pop-up windows when adding products to the cart, and the search function only announcing "button" instead of "search".
This action highlights the ongoing legal risks for e-commerce businesses that fail to ensure their digital platforms are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Similar online retailers, particularly those with a physical store presence and an integrated online sales platform, face potential litigation under the ADA if their websites do not comply with established accessibility guidelines, leading to denial of equal access to goods and services.
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Case Q&A
What specific WCAG violations is this online athletic footwear and apparel retailer accused of?
The complaint alleges that the website has a store locator with poor contrast and incorrect screen-reader announcements, product images with duplicate ID labels and generic descriptions, missing alt text for homepage images, unannounced pop-up windows for cart additions, and an uninformative search button.
Who filed this lawsuit, and which law firm?
This lawsuit was filed by Raymond T. Mahlberg, represented by the law firm ACACIA BARROS, P.
What legal risk does this create?
This case demonstrates the legal vulnerability of e-commerce platforms that are not fully accessible to visually impaired users. Businesses operating online stores, especially those linked to physical locations, risk ADA Title III lawsuits if their websites fail to provide equal access through assistive technologies like screen readers.