News and awareness of these ADA lawsuit situations has been developing a long time.

Here are some of the many links on ADA lawsuit news.

San Francisco tries to stop ADA lawsuits by offering city paid inspections.

Second article about the program in SF to help businesses Here.

The Department of Justice did a survey of Jacksonville, FL and found many different violations. The City of Jacksonville, FL is being asked to fix these violations. At least they have a choice to fix it, rather than having a lawsuit bring them to court.

The city of Baltimore upgrades their curb cuts but lacks the money to complete a path of travel. Curb cuts by themselves leaves the disabled stranded.

Following an on-going Chipotle case as covered previously:

Chipotle Deprived Disabled of Food View [From San Francisco Chronicle: Chipotle and Disabled Rights Lawsuit]

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court won’t stop a disabled man’s lawsuit against Chipotle Mexican Grill for having counters too high for a person in a wheelchair.

The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from the Denver-based chain.

Maurizio Antoninetti sued when he found that he could not see the Chipotle food preparers because of the height of the counters. A federal judge ruled against him, saying Antoninetti had sued dozens of other places for access violations and dropped the suit after received cash settlements.

The judge said Antoninetti was insincere about wanting to return and eat at Chipotle.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the judge’s ruling, saying Antoninetti’s litigation history cannot be used against him.

The case is Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. v. Maurizio Antoninetti, 10-1051.

[From Huffington Post: Supreme Court Permits Maurizio Antoninetti's Lawsuit Against Chipotle]

If you are aware of this past lawsuit back in 2006, and you’ve been to a new Chipotle you will notice that even some of the new ones are not built to the standards required by that lawsuit (of having a continuous lowered counter).

The lesson here is simply that a business’s responsibility to follow the law cannot be waived for external reasons.

I’m sure more information will come forth soon.

Comment below and share your thoughts on this!

If you want more tips on accessibility you can go here: Accommodation Compliance Rules and Regulations

Chipotle’s experience lets its patrons see the food being prepared. Chipotle Mexican Grill was sued for its counters being too high. The final decision of the lawsuit is below in this article from the San Francisco Chronicle.

On the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal appeals court said the law entitles wheelchair users at a restaurant to the same view as everyone else of the food that awaits them – in this case, burritos, tacos and the rest of the fare at Chipotle Mexican Grill.

The 45-inch-high wall between the customer line and the food preparation counter at two Chipotle restaurants in San Diego County, which blocked the view of patrons in wheelchairs, violated the 1990 federal law that requires equal treatment of the disabled, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Monday.

(Read more on Chipotle’s Counters Block Disabled View of Food)

The San Francisco Mayor’s Office on Disability and the Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco (ILRCSF) have launched an online campaign to gather support for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In order to gain the support of corporate sponsors we need to demonstrate that there are thousands of people with disabilities in every walk of life. We need to show large numbers in each of the three ways people can show their support which are:

Sign the statement of values at www.itsnormal.org: The statement is: “Disability is a natural part of the human condition. People with disabilities come from all walks of life, in all colors, sizes, genders and ages. Those of us living with disabilities bring something to the table whether it is a fresh perspective, political savviness, indomitable spirit, energizing presence, bold intellect, etc. We contribute to society BECAUSE of who we are. Human difference and diversity enriches community. Disability is not special, it’s just a part of life.”

A flyer for you to use to obtain the support of other organizations is available at: Its Normal Flyer

If you would like to add your organizations logo or to join the blog roll please contact Its Normal Event Administrator

If you use Twitter please follow @itsNormalADA at Twitter page: It’s Normal ADA
If you use Facebook become a fan of the page. It’s Normal: “Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the ADA” at Facebook page: It’s Normal ADA

We have also started a video competition “Reclaiming Normal” People are encouraged to submit a short video (less than 10 minutes) addressing the statement: “Disability is a NORMAL part of the world we live in.” For information about submissions, due dates and prizes go to: Video Contest Information

We need to have large numbers of people with and without disabilities involved in this campaign. Getting involved is easy. Let’s all join together and show the world how large this community is and that it is time we are members of every community.

“In the past few months, a rash of ADA accessibility lawsuits has descended on neighborhoods across San Francisco from North Beach to Clement Street, from Polk Street to Geary Boulevard, enraging many local merchants and neighborhood advocates.

“Along with XOX Truffles, at least six other businesses on the same block of Columbus Avenue have been served, including Sushi on North Beach, Italian restaurant Da Flora and the sandwich shop Petite Deli. Last week Ricos, a burrito joint on the same the street, received their summons.

“On Polk Street, Teresa Nittolo, owner of the gift store Molte Cose, said that about ten of the neighboring stores along with her own have been sued.

“Many of these suits have been filed by one of a handful of disabled plaintiffs who are represented by Thomas Frankovich, one of the best known and most controversial ADA accessibility lawyers in California.

“Frankovich told me he doesn’t keep count but he guesses that he’s filed between 1,500 and 1,800 ADA accessibility lawsuits since 1994 and he currently has about 50 active ADA suits in San Francisco. Last year, he was the subject of a San Francisco Weekly cover story “Wheelchairs of Fortune,” detailing his multi-million dollar business in ADA suits. In 2006 he was suspended from filing any more cases in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles for six months after a judge ruled him a vexatious litigant.”

Link: San Francisco Chronicle