11th Circuit decision ‘effectively closes the internet’s doors to the blind,’ plaintiff’s lawyers say

Websites are not public accommodations that must be accessible to blind customers unless they create an intangible barrier that excludes disabled people from accessing goods and services in a physical store, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Apr 8, 2021 10:09 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Uber ordered to pay $1.1M to blind passenger; state supreme court overturns mask mandate

Uber must pay $1.1M after drivers discriminated against woman who is blind, arbitrator says Uber has been ordered to pay a San Francisco woman—who is blind and uses a guide dog—$1.1 million after she alleged 14 incidents of discrimination by the ride-share company’s drivers. Lawyers for Lisa Irving said in…

Apr 1, 2021 4:18 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Senator airs suspicions of ‘fake’ Kavanaugh probe; prosecutors sue senior living chain

Senator wants to know whether FBI probe of Kavanaugh was ‘fake’ U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland should help facilitate Senate oversight into whether the FBI conducted a “politically constrained and perhaps fake FBI investigation” of then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, according to a senator’s letter. Democratic U.S.…

Mar 16, 2021 4:21 PM CDT

Navigating website ADA compliance: ‘If you have videos that are not captioned, you’re a sitting duck’

“If you’re not encoding your pictures so that the blind person using a screen reader can understand what the picture is describing, that is a problem,” lawyer Willam Goren said.

Mar 12, 2021 6:30 PM CST

Law student using American Sign Language wins 4th Circuit appeal

Mar 4, 2021 10:01 AM CST

ABA pushes for a federal guardianship court improvement program

Karen Murphy Jensen, a senior judge with Maryland’s Caroline County Circuit Court, has spent the past five years working to reform guardianship court practices. “Judges are really embracing wanting to know more about guardianship cases as well as the alternatives to guardianship,” says Jensen, the chair of the Guardianship and Vulnerable Adults Work Group of the Maryland Judicial Council’s Domestic Law Committee.

Feb 1, 2021 12:20 AM CST

What types of lawsuits were filed over COVID-19 in 2020?

Despite predictions made in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, lawsuits alleging that COVID-19 caused physical or economic harm were limited in 2020.

Jan 4, 2021 1:15 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Former Trump adviser sues over FBI surveillance; ex-lawyer sentenced in Ponzi scheme

Former Trump campaign adviser sues over FBI surveillance Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page has filed a $75 million lawsuit against the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice for alleged “unlawful spying” on him during the investigation of Russian influence. Page alleges that the surveillance was authorized as a…

Dec 1, 2020 4:48 PM CST

Lawyer is accused of working for Stanford, 2 law firms while collecting disability payments

Updated: A lawyer who was formerly a financial analyst to the Federal Reserve System’s board of governors is accused of collecting disability benefits while working for two law firms, three companies and a university.

Nov 3, 2020 9:02 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Legal professionals stressed, surveys say; disbarred lawyer pleads guilty in 9/11 theft

Legal professionals are stressed and depressed, surveys say More than 85% of legal professionals surveyed by Law.com said the upcoming election has affected their mental health, leading to symptoms that include stress, irritability and depression. Law.com surveyed 150 legal professionals. Another survey found the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened stress among…

Oct 30, 2020 2:15 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Latham will pay fall bonuses; Reagan shooter may display artwork, judge rules

Latham will pay fall bonuses, donate $1M to fight hunger Latham & Watkins has announced that it will pay fall bonuses ranging from $7,500 to $40,000—the market scale for law firms that are paying the special bonuses. The firm also plans to donate $1 million to fight hunger and to…

Oct 29, 2020 4:15 PM CDT

SCOTUS allows Alabama to ban curbside voting

Three U.S. Supreme Court justices dissented Wednesday when the high court allowed Alabama’s secretary of state to ban curbside voting.

Oct 22, 2020 11:35 AM CDT

Federal judge tosses lawsuit alleging 558 ADA suits were racketeering enterprise

A federal judge in Atlanta has said he will sanction a lawyer who filed a RICO suit against two lawyers who filed hundreds of lawsuits against businesses for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Sep 24, 2020 8:00 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Self-driving car crash leads to charge; ABA center will monitor trial of ‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero

Backup driver for self-driving car is charged after crash death A backup driver for an Uber self-driving test vehicle has been charged with negligent homicide for a March 2018 crash that killed a homeless woman. Rafael Vasquez, 46, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Maricopa County, Arizona. Police in Tempe, Arizona,…

Sep 18, 2020 3:01 PM CDT

No bathroom break allowed? Suit says rules for remote bar exam discriminate against disabled grads

A lawsuit by law graduates who have disabilities says they will be forced to take the California bar exam in person because of a failure to provide accommodations for a remote test.

Sep 16, 2020 9:39 AM CDT