ATLANTA, Ga., Feb. 25 – AAHOA President & CEO Cecil P. Staton issued the following statement in response to the record-breaking number of ADA Title III federal lawsuits filed in 2019:
“Businesses strive to comply with the regulations in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that all patrons can access their services. However, unscrupulous trial lawyers and serial plaintiffs abuse the ADA to target honest businesses with drive-by lawsuits, the number of which filed in federal court alone jumped to 11,053 in 2019. These predatory lawsuits are not about expanding access. They are about money. Threatening honest business owners with vague accusations of noncompliance while demanding thousands of dollars is not about access, it’s about abusing provisions of a landmark civil rights law for financial gain.
“America’s hoteliers are committed to working with the disability rights community to help businesses understand how best to serve Americans with disabilities and expand access while combatting predatory lawsuits.”
