Our Practice Areas
Failure to Accommodate
WACDA also represents several clients who were discriminated against by their employer for failing to make a reasonable accommodation. A reasonable accommodation is an alteration to the job or work environment that allows a person with a disability, who is qualified for the job, to perform the essential functions of that job.
Public Housing Discrimination
Public entities, such as the Seattle Housing Authority (“SHA”), are required to make reasonable modifications in its policies and practices to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability.
Service Animals
Service animals are individually trained to perform tasks or work for people with disabilities. They can provide important support to individuals, and WACDA seeks to ensure that individuals with service animals do not face discrimination or accessibility issues.
Building and Venue Accessibility
Under the ADA, places of public accommodation are prohibited from providing separate or unequal benefits and services to individuals with disabilities. Many of WACDA’s clients are barred from visiting restaurants, venues, and stores due to inaccessible parking lots, a lack of ramps for wheelchair users to enter, or a variety of other discriminatory architectural barriers.
Current Cases
Brown, et al v. Republic Parking Northwest
A lawsuit in the United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleges noncompliant accessible parking. pay kiosks, signage and routes to accessible parking at 158 parking facilities operated by Republic Parking Northwest. These parking facilities are located throughout western Washington from Everett to Tacoma.
Napper v. AMC Entertainment Holdings
A lawsuit in the United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleges discriminatory ticketing policies by AMC. AMC charges people with disabilities who require the assistance of a caregiver for said caregivers admission. We allege that this amounts to a discriminatory surcharge for individuals with disabilities who require the assistance of a caregiver in order to attend movies in the theater.
Picciano v. Clark County, et al
A lawsuit in the United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleges discriminatory treatment and failure to ensure medically necessary access to gluten-free meals to a plaintiff with celiac disease. Mr. Picciano was held by Defendants for 22 days without food that he could safely eat. We allege that discriminatory treatment and failure to provide a reasonable dietary accommodation resulted in illness, loss of consciousness, hospitalization, the loss of a significant percentage of his body weight, and short and long- term damage and injury.
Previous Cases
Lewis v. PDA, LLC
A lawsuit in the United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleged noncompliant accessible parking spaces, signage, routes to accessible parking, and insufficient regular and van-accessible parking spaces.
Long v. Live Nation Worldwide
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleged noncompliant accessible seating ticket sales on the NFL Ticket Exchange.
Killam et al v. City of Seattle
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleged noncompliant accessible seating and accessible routes at McCaw Hall in Seattle, WA as well as discriminatory ticket sale and seating policies and practices.
Long et al v. Imperial Parking, et al
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit resulted in a settlement agreement to address accessible parking allegations in parking facilities across Western Washington.
Struiksma v. Zones, Inc
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleged unlawful termination of employment of a blind individual. The parties reached a confidential settlement agreements.
Brown et al v. Seattle Theatre Group
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleged noncompliant accessible routes, concessions, restrooms, drinking fountains, and seating at the Moore and Paramount Theatres in Seattle, WA as well as noncompliant ticketing policies and practices. Defendant accepted the judgment.
Brown v. Diamond Parking Services
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleged accessible parking violations at the Diamond owned parking lot at 2021 Fifth Avenue in Seattle. The parties reached a confidential settlement agreement.
Reynoldson v. Chateau Ste Michelle Wine Estates Ltd
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleged discriminatory amphitheater accessible seating and ticketing policies and practices as well as accessible route and accessible parking violations at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Amphitheater and Winery. The parties reached a confidential settlement agreement.
Reynoldson v. University of Washington
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleged discriminatory ticketing policies, accessible parking, ramp, and seating violations at the University of Washington’s Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The parties reached a settlement agreement that addresses these allegations.
Reynoldson v. City of Seattle
In collaboration with Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center (CREEC), Conrad Reynoldson advocated as a named plaintiff in a class-action suit requiring the City of Seattle to install or remediate over 20,000 curb ramps throughout Seattle over the next 18 years. The Court granted final approval of the settlement on November 1, 2017.
Leal v. Everett Public School
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit successfully challenged the Constitutionality of an Everett Public School System policy barring the distribution of materials not originally authored by students.
Daman Lee Michael Wandke v. Yellow Cab Inc
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleged discriminatory accessible taxi fares up to eleven times the regular fare and minimums up to $75. The parties reached a settlement agreement that addresses these allegations and provides for additional staff training.
Twede v. UW
A lawsuit in United States District Court in the Western District of Washington. This suit alleged multiple occurrences of inaccessible parking structures at the University of Washington, Seattle Campus. The parties reached a settlement agreement that addresses these accessibility concerns and provides modifications of the parking areas causing barriers.