As someone who grew up with a brother who lives with a disability, I am glad to see that the disability community has a strong advocate in Governor Kathy Hochul and that she has established a new agency focused on disability rights. She also personally offends me that lawyers have turned the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark civil rights law, into a get-rich-quick scheme.
That is why, as the Office of the Director of Disability begins to set its agenda, I urge Kimberly Hill, who was recently appointed to the position, and her staff to review and investigate the torrent of lawsuits filed under the ADA in New York Courts. . A small number of law firms file thousands of lawsuits each year alleging physical access barriers and noncompliant websites without ever contacting the firms to notify them of potential problems.
As experts, including the judges overseeing these lawsuits, have pointed out, this litigation appears to be an abuse of the statute and is driven by attorneys seeking lucrative settlements, not guaranteeing access for all. As the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to small businesses, it is crucial that the government works with them to make their properties more affordable and not allow greedy lawyers to sue them.
Stopping this litigation will reinstate the ADA as a critical law for people living with disabilities and not a pot of gold for the bar of judgment.
tom stebbins
albany
Executive Director, Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York
