Retail Groups Ask Supreme Court to Decide if Websites Must Follow Disabilities Act

The Retail Litigation Center and the National Retail Federation today asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take a case that will enable the court to establish a reasonable, nationwide standard for evaluating website accessibility claims filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

At issue is whether a website is a “public accommodation” like a physical store within the meaning of the ADA. In a brief filed with the court, the RLC and NRF explained that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stretched the definition too far by deciding that websites and mobile applications must be judged under the “public accommodations” standard rather than just considered as one of many ways in which a consumer might access a retailer’s offerings. The 9th Circuit determined that Domino’s Pizza violated the ADA because a customer encountered barriers ordering online despite the fact that their made-to-order-pizza was accessible to the customer in store, by phone, text, social media and other means. 

“Retailers have a vested interest in ensuring that all consumers have access to the goods and services that they offer and therefore use a variety of programs tailored to the needs of their customers,” said Deborah White, president of the Retail Litigation Center and senior executive vice president and general counsel of the Retail Industry Leaders Association. “Unfortunately, the 9th Circuit’s decision only invites private-party litigation that runs counter to the goals of the ADA, consumers and the retailers who serve them. If retailers are forced to comply with this standard, initiatives that might better meet the needs of customers with disabilities could get thwarted.”