Skip to Main Content
Services Talent Knowledge
Site Search
Menu

News

July 17, 2024

Rob Thorpe Quoted in Wall Street Journal Article on Recent Explosion of Website Accessibility Lawsuits


Rob Thorpe, partner, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal article “The Law Firm Hitting Businesses With Thousands of Disability Suits.” The article concentrates on one law firm, Mizrahi Kroub, which has filed more than 1,000 lawsuits in the last year alone on behalf of plaintiffs who claim that defendants’ websites are inaccessible to visually impaired customers. Many of these plaintiffs are known as “serial plaintiffs,” suing multiple businesses across different industries for the same reason.

The article highlights that these cases are so prolific because private parties, not the government, are responsible for ensuring businesses comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Despite the fact that many cases settle, problems often go unfixed. 

While the ADA provides requirements for how wide a doorway needs to be to accommodate a wheelchair, it only provides requirements for how to make a state and local government websites accessible. Meanwhile, private companies are left to decide for themselves how they’d like to comply. Rob said, “Part of the problem we keep raising is that there’s no standard governing [website] accessibility under the ADA [for private businesses]. It’s created this niche market for these types of cases.” 

Even when a defendant wins, it’s not without cost. Many spend tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and several thousand dollars more on website consultants and updates.

Wall Street Journal subscribers can read the full article here.
 

Subscribe

Click here to sign up for alerts, blog posts, and firm news.

Featured Media

Alerts

Website Accessibility Lawsuits: Several "Tester" Plaintiffs—Wislande Claude, Felipe Fernandez, Howard Wilson, Lisa Cantwell, and Erika Alexandria—Targeting Businesses in Recent Flurry of Lawsuits

Alerts

NYS Appellate Court Holds Family Members Are Not Bound by Arbitration Agreement Signed by Deceased Relative

Alerts

Website Accessibility Lawsuits: Several "Tester" Plaintiffs—Milagros Senior, Sylinia Jackson, Edery Herrera, Henry Tucker, and Carlton Knowles—Targeting Businesses in Recent Flurry of Lawsuits

Alerts

Website Accessibility Lawsuits: Several "Tester" Plaintiffs—Phyllis Hampton, Nicolas Grant, Windy Lucius, Jesus Gonzalez, and James Watson—Targeting Businesses in Recent Flurry of Lawsuits

Alerts

New York PSC Grants 30-Day Extension for NYSERDA to File First Bulk Energy Storage Solicitation

Alerts

Supreme Court Broadens Scope of Religious Exemption From State Regulation