From the Palm Beach Post:

Former Riviera Beach city councilman Allen Fox is on a crusade to make businesses accessible, filing lawsuits challenging barriers that make it difficult or impossible for him to navigate their premises in his wheelchair. He’s filed 139 lawsuits personally, with the help of lawyer Samuel Aurilio. Eight lawsuits with nearly identical claims were filed on one day last month alone.

Critics say the passage of the ADA has created a cottage industry for unscrupulous lawyers, who can cash in because the law requires the losing side to pay attorney fees. Fox’s lawsuits rarely go to trial because business owners generally agree to renovate and pay Aurilio’s fees. “It’s a racket,” said an attorney who has represented business owners against the pair.

Another attorney who represents people with disabilities blames Congress for crafting a measure that has no enforcement mechanism and no penalty for violating it — an anomaly among civil rights laws.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 at 10:44 am and is filed under ADA, law, wheelchair. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post