Is an online-only business a place of public accommodation under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)? Yes, claimed the plaintiff in Martinez v. Cot’n Wash, Inc., 81 Cal. App. 5th 1026 (Cal. App. August 1, 2022). The Martinez plaintiff, who was permanently blind and used screen readers (i.e., software that audibly reads website content), alleged that “well-established industry standards” require websites to allow blind or visually impaired people access to websites, which one of the defendant’s websites—an e-commerce site—did not. No, said the California Court of Appeal, disagreeing with the plaintiff.
Continue Reading Online-Only Businesses Are Not a Place of Public Accommodation: California State Appellate Court Follows the Ninth Circuit in ADA-Related Ruling