Erik Beard, an attorney with the law firm of Wiggin and Dana and who has a blog on legal issues affecting amusement parks , has been talking for some time about a case out of the central district of California that squarely presents the issue of whether amusement park rides must be accessible to persons
Title III: issue spotting
By William Goren on
As is my practice, I have divided this blog entry into four parts: the facts of the case; the issues; the court’s reasoning; and the takeaways. Feel free to read some or all of the blog entry.
Consider the following:
I
Facts:
Person has a favorite restaurant. Subsequently, he is involved in an accident and…
ADA and Mediation/Arbitration: Things to Think About
By William Goren on
The ADA and alternative dispute resolution are two concepts that mesh very well together. The ADA itself has language in it encouraging dispute resolution. In fact, both the EEOC and the Department of Justice have mediation programs dealing with ADA lawsuits. Also, with the courts having a very favorable view towards arbitrating claims, arbitration has…
The ADA and Bar Examiners: Uphill Climb for Wannabe Attorneys with MH
By William Goren on
Does the Americans with Disabilities Act apply to bar examiners? If it were only that simple. Taking the approach with respect to entries that I’ve developed recently, part one discusses the facts of the case. Part two discusses the court’s reasoning and my responses. Finally, part three give the reader takeaways. The reader is free…
Breed restrictions R.I.P.?
By William Goren on
This is my 100th blog entry! Wow!! Many thanks to all of you!!!
Previously, I have had several entries dealing with service dogs. In the first, we talked about what was a service dog and what was not. In the second, we talked about the regulations of the Department of Justice on service dogs…
The perils of relying on a physical exam subsequent to a conditional job offer
By William Goren on
The ADA allows a physical exam to be made after a conditional job offer. That is, it is perfectly permissible under the ADA to offer a person a job conditionally subsequent to taking a physical. If the employer denies employment after the physical exam (i.e. takes back the conditional job offer), the employer must do…
Undue Hardship in the Financial Sense: A Viable Defense?
By William Goren on
Posted in Federal Cases, Title I
This blog entry can be divided neatly into two parts. In the first part, I play a game of true false based upon the issues that arose in the recent case of Attiiogbe-Tay v. Southeast Rolling Hills LLC, which recently came down from the United States District Court of Minnesota. The second part explores…
Is Alcoholism a Disability: Revisiting Miners v. Cargill Communications and the importance of pleadings
By William Goren on
Ever since the first edition of my book in 2000 and in every edition since, I have discussed the case of Miners v. Cargill Communications, Inc., 113 F.3d 820 (8th Cir. 1997). That case illustrates the perils of what can happen when an employer perceives someone as being an alcoholic. In that case, the…
ADA Audit: Disaster Planning Version
By William Goren on
Consider whether you would want to be involved in the following: a six-day bench trial; 35 witnesses, including city officials, experts, and persons with disabilities; 25,000 pages of documentary exhibits; several hundred pages of briefing and proposed findings of fact; and an additional trial to assess whether the city can justify its lack of accessibility…
Access Now v. Southwest Airlines overruled by regulation? Department of Transportation, Internet accessibility, kiosk accessibility and the Air Carrier Access Act
By William Goren on
The issue of whether the Internet has to be accessible to a person with a disability is an issue that we have discussed before. One of the cases out there is the case of Access Now v. Southwest Airlines, 227 F. Supp. 2d 1312 (S.D. Fla. 2002), where the Southern District of Florida…