Marty Orlick, Chair of JMBM's ADA Compliance & Defense
Group, was recently interviewed by ABC7 for a news report regarding
the impact of serial ADA litigants on small businesses. The segment
focused on a group of businesses in Santa Paula, California, who
have been hit with lawsuits alleging violations of the Americans
with Disabilities Act. The significant financial penalties imposed
by these lawsuits threaten to close already struggling stores and
restaurants.
During the segment, Marty discussed the California Unruh Civil
Rights Act which requires businesses and public accommodations to
provide equal access to their services and facilities. He explained
that the Unruh Act “allows a plaintiff to recover $4,000 per
occurrence every time they went to a particular business, or every
time they thought of going but they realize there were barriers and
they couldn't get served.” The Unruh Act is often
abused by serial plaintiffs who file hundreds of lawsuits every
year,
