ADA in the News: May 15, 2015

Settlement Agreement: Advanced Cosmetic Surgery of New York

Baker Concrete to Settle EEOC Disability Case

In its lawsuit, the EEOC alleged that Baker Concrete terminated payroll manager Maria Castillo in 2013 because of her disability, asthma, when the company refused to provide her with a reasonable accommodation of working at home for a period after she had a bad reaction to chemical dust in the workplace. After Castillo, a nine-year employee of the company, was denied a reasonable accommodation, she was fired by two human resource officials, who told her that she was disabled, could no longer perform her job, and would just become ill again if they gave her permission to work at home for a period because the building was old and she would continue to have breathing problems upon her return.

Businesses say plaintiff who won $360K in dozens of ADA suits may not be disabled

ABA Journal

Carl Barnum III won $360,000, plus another $135,000 for his lawyer by filing over 100 disability discrimination suits. Then a group of California businesses hired a lawyer and aggressively defended his claims.

They claim that they discovered that Barnum, who filed suit under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act may not, in fact, be disabled, reports KABC.

Apple Valley man sues over 100 businesses over disability violations

KABC-TV

Carl Barnum III says he is disabled, and as a result has been forced to sue a number of local businesses for alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which guarantees disabled people access to public places.
Barnum has sued more than 100 business owners for thousands of dollars each, claiming their violations of the ADA kept him from having complete access to their businesses. He's taken in roughly $360,000, with another $135,000 going to his lawyer. Critics says Barnum is nothing more than a "serial plaintiff," a person who makes a living filing bogus lawsuits.

Wallingford Police Department Settles with Feds, to Improve Communication with Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Patch.com

The department voluntarily entered into the agreement amid allegations it failed to effectively communicate with deaf residents.

Stamford's Patriot National Bank Settles Case Of Violating Disabilities Act

The Daily Voice

The office of Deirdre Daly, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, has reached a settlement with Stamford-based Patriot National Bank to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities at all Patriot Bank locations.

Phoenix unveils new disability accessibility icon

azcentral.com

Phoenix leaders and disability activists unveiled a new accessibility icon Wednesday, saying the action-oriented symbol shows a positive change in perception about people with disabilities.

The icon, which will replace the international symbol of access on city signs, re-envisions the current depiction of a person statically sitting in a wheelchair.

Feedback Form