Rob Thorpe, partner, was interviewed for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article “A Visually Impaired Woman Is Suing Anodyne, Koss Over Their Websites. Critics Think It’s a Money Grab.” The article discusses lawsuits filed by Melissa McCabe, a blind woman from Racine, Wisconsin, against Anodyne Coffee and Koss Corporation, alleging that their websites are not accessible to individuals with visual impairments, thus violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The lawsuits claim that the websites lack essential features such as screen reader compatibility, preventing visually impaired users from navigating them effectively. McCabe has filed more than 30 lawsuits over the past two years.
Rob, who has been tracking website accessibility lawsuits since 2020, weighed in on the issue, emphasizing the increasing scrutiny businesses face regarding digital accessibility. It is unclear whether these serial plaintiffs are genuinely in need of the services or products offered by the companies they are suing or whether they’re filing these lawsuits with the hope of financial gain: “Settlements range between as low as $1,000 to as high as $25,000,” he said.
He continued, “It would be great if these plaintiffs were reaching out to the businesses in advance of filing a lawsuit, putting them on notice of the issues, and giving the chance to fix whatever is a problem. But [in] the vast majority of these cases, that’s not happening. Instead, we’re just getting lawsuit after lawsuit.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel subscribers can read the full article here.