tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38196960945719282602024-03-19T04:40:00.594-04:00Disability Justice, the ADA and the CourtsPosted by a 43 year veteran in the field, an experienced U.S. Supreme Court litigator, and federal court appointed monitor, former special master for a federal court, this blog discusses developments in disability law generally (now called "disability justice," interesting litigation, and the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA ). Also discussed are how courts, government agencies, advocates and service providers, respond to these developments. Email david@ferleger.comDavid Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-51815243202720225692020-06-14T16:25:00.000-04:002020-06-14T16:27:13.507-04:00Where the Sidewalk Ends<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>Where the Sidewalk Ends: </b></div>
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<b>Curb Ramps, Pedestrian Travel and the ADA </b></div>
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More than 50 years ago, Jacobus tenBroeck, the constitutional scholar and disability rights activist, captured in a law review article the essential human need to be “abroad in the land.” </div>
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Movement, we are told, is a law of animal life. As to man, in any event, nothing could be more essential to personality, social existence, economic opportunity—in short, to individual well-being and integration into the life of the community—than the physical capacity, the public approval, and the legal right to be abroad in the land. </blockquote>
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The Right to Live in the World: The Disabled in the Law of Torts, vol. 54, California Law Review (1966).<br />
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Facilitating movement for people with mobility disabilities is nothing new. From ancient wheelchair images to the latest wheelchair, Segway and other technology, inventive devices have provided assistance. Low tech curb cuts at intersections are simple, effective and inexpensive.
Inaccessible transportation is a critical area of discrimination.<br />
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In enacting the ADA, Congress understood that accessible transportation is a linchpin that promotes self-sufficiency of people with disabilities. Sidewalks and crosswalks are the cords which join the pedestrian pathways which make it possible for us all to simply get around.
Sidewalks must be readily accessible to individuals with disabilities. As Congress recognized, the marginal costs of making a sidewalks readily accessible are often negligible.<br />
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The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require such access, as courts have repeatedly held. See, for example,, Barden v. City of Sacramento, 292 F.3d 1073, 1077 (9th Cir. 2002) (ADA requires maintenance of public sidewalks, which is a normal function of a municipal entity.”); Frame v. City of Arlington, 657 F.3d 215, 225–228 (5th Cir. 2011) (finding that a sidewalk unambiguously is a service, program, or activity of a public entity”); Hamer v. City of Trinidad, No. 16-cv-02545-NYW, 2020 WL 869818, at *7, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29844, at *16 (D. Colo. Feb. 21, 2020) (“sidewalks are ‘services’ covered by the ADA”); Mich. Paralyzed Veterans of Am., Inc. v. Mich. DOT, No. 15-cv-13046, 2017 WL 5132912, at *8, *11, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 183280, at *26, 37 (E.D. Mich. Nov. 6, 2017); Mote v. City of Chelsea, 252 F. Supp. 3d 642, 654 (E.D. Mich. 2017) (“Any sensible reading of ADA Title II compels the conclusion that maintaining public pedestrian thoroughfares for citizens to get around a city…is the archetypal example of the most fundamental of public services. Inaccessible sidewalks are, in fact, the single most readily conceivable example of a basic obstacle to accessibility that comes to mind when considering the purpose that animates the ADA, which is to eliminate obstacles to the full enjoyment of public life by disabled citizens.”); Willits v. City of Los Angeles, 925 F. Supp. 2d 1089, 1093 (C.D. Cal. 2013); Mason v. City of Huntsville, No. CV–10–S–02794–NE, 2012 WL 4815518, at *8, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 145698, at *25 (N.D. Ala. Oct. 10, 2012) (“the ADA’s broad mandate to eliminate discrimination against disabled persons includes public sidewalks”); Culvahouse v. City of LaPorte, 679 F.Supp.2d 931, 939–40 (N.D. Ind. 2009) (“the ADA is broad enough to include public sidewalks within the scope of a city’s services, programs, or activities”).<br />
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Sometimes, local governments recognize the the benefits to the community of accessible pedestrian paths of travel. Seattle, Portland, and communities in California have settled such cases. In a Texas case in which the I represented the plaintiff on certiorari before the U.S. Supreme Court, the City of Arlington eventually agreed to city-wide installation/replacement of non-compliant curb ramps.<br />
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In a recently resolved case, Disability Rights Advocates (Berkeley and New York), http://www.dralegal.org, filed a class action in 2014 against the City of New York challenging widespread, dangerous curb ramps and inaccessible pedestrian routes throughout New York City neighborhoods in Lower Manhattan, where a number of critical services are located. Center for Independence of the Disabled New York (CIDNY) v. City of New York. https://dralegal.org/case/center-independence-disabled-new-york,-cidny-et-al-v-city-new-york-et-al/ . Under In a July 2019 settlement agreement, the City committed to ongoing, widespread accessibility improvements to its pedestrian ramps through scheduled installations and upgrades, complaint remediation, on-going maintenance, sharing of information, and third-party monitoring. The Agreement sets out long-term and short-term deadlines. In addition, the agreement requires the City to maintain its pedestrian ramps as required by the federal accessibility laws, both during and after the term of the agreement.<br />
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A class lawsuit is pending in federal court in Philadelphia in which I represent plaintiffs with a DRA team, Meredith Weaver, Michelle Caiola, Andrea Kozak-Oxnard, and Rebecca Sobie. The lawsuit alleges that the City of Philadelphia, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, discriminates against residents and visitors with mobility disabilities. Liberty Resources, Inc. v. City of Philadelphia, Civil Action 19_3846 (E.D. Pa.) (motion to dismiss pending). In addition to Liberty Resources (Philadelphia’s center for independent living), plaintiffs include several individuals, Disabled In Action of Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia ADAPT. (Contact me for briefs and case status, david@ferleger.com )<br />
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Philadelphia has the largest prevalence of people with disabilities of any major city in the United States yet Philadelphia’s sidewalks are dilapidated, disintegrating, and teeming with obstructions, making every-day travel difficult and dangerous. Corners exhibit barriers such as curb ramps that are broken, steep, crumbling, or have missing or inadequate detectable warnings. Some corners are missing curb ramps altogether so that individuals who use wheelchairs are unable to utilize the sidewalk. These barriers have caused people to suffer bodily injury as a result of falling out of wheelchairs and tripping over obstacles.<br />
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In addition to challenging the street features, the Liberty case goes beyond what I call the “street features.” The suit alleges that Philadelphia fails to enforce parking laws, allowing an extreme situation of drivers parking their cars on sidewalks and in crosswalks on a regular and reoccurring basis. Vendor sandwich boards, trash cans, and sidewalk furniture are placed in the path of travel with impunity. People who are blind or have low vision routinely run into these obstructions and people who use wheelchairs often cannot pass without moving into the street traffic lane.<br />
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Pause a moment as this blog post ends to envision a community in which all people, regardless of any sort of mobility challenge, can freely move from one place to another, with nothing in the way, with right of way unimpeded.
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<br />David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-38874975253013507542020-06-14T15:52:00.000-04:002020-06-14T16:25:57.580-04:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<br />David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-11156003181621052152020-06-13T11:52:00.000-04:002020-06-13T11:52:18.523-04:00ARE WEBSITES "PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION" UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT?<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Is website a “place of public accommodation” covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (Title II)?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></h2>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">Is a website a “place of public accommodation” covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (Title II)? The ADA was enacted in 1990, before there were websites; among the dozens of kinds of “places” identified in the ADA, there is therefore nothing about websites. </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"> </span></span></i></h3>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">If a website is covered by the ADA at all, are all websites covered? Some? Which websites are covered?</span></span></i></h3>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">What does “accessibility” mean for a website for someone who is blind or has limited eyesight?</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"> </span></span></i></h3>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #7f6000;"><br /></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">When a business’ website is a service welcoming and bringing people to the business, must the website be accessible to blind persons?</span></span></i></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The first website accessibility case to go to trial was argued and is awaiting decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The trial court had ruled fully for the plaintiff, Juan Gil, and ordered Winn-Dixie, the grocery store chain, to make its website fully accessible to the blind, and to do so through compliance with the accepted standard, WCAG.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The case was argued by David Ferleger, Jenkintown, PA on October 2, 2018. Together with Joshua Entin, Florida, Mr. Ferleger represents Plaintiff Juan Gill; The lower court decision is at <i>Gil v. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc</i>., 257 F. Supp. 3d 1340 (S.D. FL 2017).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Mr. Ferleger stated, “We seek a decision guarantees that the internet’s doors are open to the blind. accessible websites are good for the blind, good for businesses, and good for society as a whole. As Mr. Gil, a paralympic athlete, testified at the trial, “Why me, as an individual that’s visually impaired, why can I not access the same, goods, services on a website…”<b> </b>“The dignity and perseverance of Juan Gil is inspiring,” said co-counsel Joshua Entin.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">United States Senators wrote to the Attorney General to urge limits on ADA website accessibility cases, citing the <i>Gil v. Winn-Dixie</i> case at the outset of the letter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Organizations representing thousands of businesses asked the court of appeals to overturn the verdict, arguing that their obligations under the ADA do not extend to websites, and expressing concern about the cost of compliance. The brief was filed by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, Restaurant Law Center, American Bankers Association, American Hotel & Lodging Association, American Resort Development Association, Asian American Hotel Owners Association, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Association of Realtors®, National Association of Theatre Owners, National Federation of Independent Businesses, National Multifamily Housing Council, and National Retail Federation, and a separate brief by the Florida Justice Reform Institute.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">On the other side, the disability advocacy community’s friend of the court brief was filed by the National Federation of The Blind, American Council of the Blind, American Foundation For the Blind, Association of Late Deafened Adults, Disability Independence Group, Disability Rights Advocates, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Disability Rights Florida, Florida Council Of The Blind, National Association of The Deaf, National Disability Rights Network, National Federation of the Blind of Florida, Washington Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and the World Institute on Disability. It is authored by Greg Care, Brown Goldstein & Levy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The various federal courts of appeals have adopted their own standards for accessibility. Though there have been thousands of lawsuits on ADA website accessibility, Mr. Gil’s case is the first to have gone to trial. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">For whatever reason, the 11th Circuit has not yet decided Winn-Dixie. It remains to be seen how the court will enter the legal fray. Federal courts of appeals have developed various flavors of standards on website website accessibility. Some are “all are covered” or “none or covered.” Some, including a prior 11<sup>th</sup> Circuit decision, find that the ADA covers a website if the site has a “nexus” to a physical store. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Of course, with so much commerce having moved online, including to businesses with products and services being sold solely online, the caselaw’s “none covered” and the “nexus” approach are seriously deficient. The situation has been changing since those cases were decided. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">“What percentage of retail sales are ecommerce? More than 10 years ago, ecommerce was at 5.1% of total retail purchases. Ecommerce now [2019] accounts for 16%.” “Since 2007, the web has tripled its share of retail sales.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/e-commerce-sales-retail-sales-ten-year-review/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/e-commerce-sales-retail-sales-ten-year-review/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">March 3, 2020<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">For federal circuit court cases at the time of argument (and I know of none since then), <i>see</i> <i>Rendon v. Valleycrest Prods.,</i> 294 F.3d 1279 (11<sup>th</sup> Cir. 2002);<i>Haynes. v. Dunkin' Donuts LLC</i>, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 21126 *5-6 (11<sup>th</sup> Cir. 2018);<i>Weyer v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.,</i> 198 F.3d 1104 (9th Cir. 2000); <i>Cullen v. Netflix</i>, 600 F.Appx 508 (9th Cir 2015); Earll v. eBay, 599 F.Appx 695 (9th Cir. 2015); <i>Carports Distribution Center, v. Automotive Wholesaler's</i>, 37 F.3d 12 (1st Cir. 1994); <i>Peoples v. Discover Fin. Servs., Inc.,</i> 387 F. App'x 179, 183 (3d Cir. 2010); <i>Ford v. Schering-Plough</i>, 145 F.3d 601 (3d Cir. 1998); <i>Doe v. Mut. of Omaha Ins. Co</i>., 179 F.3d 557, 559 (7th Cir. 1999); <i>Parker v. Metro. Life Ins. Co</i>., 121 F.3d 1006, 1010-11 (6th Cir. 1997); <i>Morgan v. Joint Admin. Bd</i>, 268 F.3d 456, 459 (7th Cir. 2001); <i>Stoutenborough v. National Football League</i>, 59 F.3d 580 (6th Cir. 1995); <i>Carroll v. Fedfinancial Fed. Credit Union</i>, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108808, *11 (ED VA June 25, 2018); <i>Pallozzi v. Allstate Life Insurance Co., </i>198 F.3d 28 (2d Cir. 1999), <i>opinion amended on denial of reh'g</i>, 204 F.3d 392 (2d Cir. 2000). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Please let me know of any court decisions on this issue, both in courts of appeals and district courts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">To check on status of the case, or for copies of the briefs, feel free to write or call Mr. Ferleger, <a href="mailto:david@ferleger.com" style="color: #954f72;">david@ferleger.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Background<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">For various perspectives on the suit generally (and before the new court of appeals decision):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalnewsline/2017/06/13/first-of-its-kind-trial-goes-plaintiffs-way-winn-dixie-must-update-website-for-the-blind/#108f9fd11b38" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalnewsline/2017/06/13/first-of-its-kind-trial-goes-plaintiffs-way-winn-dixie-must-update-website-for-the-blind/#108f9fd11b38</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Courthouse News Service<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-holds-winn-dixie-supermarkets-website-violates-ada/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-holds-winn-dixie-supermarkets-website-violates-ada/</a><u><span style="color: #0563c1;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Court Decisions Brief – South</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">east ADA Center<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.adasoutheast.org/ada/publications/legal/Gil_v_Winn-Dixie.php" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.adasoutheast.org/ada/publications/legal/Gil_v_Winn-Dixie.php</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Perspectives from an ADA Lawyer: Practical Implications of the Winn-Dixie Lawsuit”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://medium.com/usablenet/perspectives-from-an-ada-lawyer-practical-implications-of-the-winn-dixie-lawsuit-bf56d104b0ae" style="color: #954f72;">https://medium.com/usablenet/perspectives-from-an-ada-lawyer-practical-implications-of-the-winn-dixie-lawsuit-bf56d104b0ae</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Seyforth Shaw – ADA Title III<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.adatitleiii.com/tag/winn-dixie/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.adatitleiii.com/tag/winn-dixie/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.manatt.com/Insights/Newsletters/Advertising-Law/Court-Rules-That-ADA-Applies-to-Website" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.manatt.com/Insights/Newsletters/Advertising-Law/Court-Rules-That-ADA-Applies-to-Website</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lainey Feingold <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.lflegal.com/2017/06/winn-dixie/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.lflegal.com/2017/06/winn-dixie/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Fredrickson & Byron:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.fredlaw.com/news__media/2017/06/14/1548/first_federal_trial_on_website_accessibility_winn-dixie_violates_ada" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.fredlaw.com/news__media/2017/06/14/1548/first_federal_trial_on_website_accessibility_winn-dixie_violates_ada</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-20005395349921207892018-10-01T17:35:00.002-04:002018-10-01T17:37:36.620-04:00Dept of Justice Tells Congress that Websites Must Be Accessible Under ADA<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">Just as I'm about to argue the appeal in <i>Gil v. Winn-Dixie</i> in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals this week, there is news on the Executive Branch's position on the question.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-size: large;">The US Department of Justice has responded to 103 Members of Congress and declared in a September 25, 2018 letter that there is no need for regulations to confirm that public accommodations' websites are covered by the ADA and must be accessible. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">Whether that conclusion is supported / upheld by all the courts in the land remains to be seen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">Some circuit courts have held that all websites must be accessible; period. Some have held that websites which have a connection, a nexus, to a physical place must be accessible. Some circuits have not yet spoken to the issue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">The DOJ appears comfortable that the ADA statute itself is clear enough.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">Anyone contemplating this question would be well advised to check with an attorney or someone else expert on the issue for advice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">David Ferleger</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">http://www.ferleger.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">david@ferleger.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">_____________________________</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: large;">The blog below is from Attorney Lainey Feingold's excellent blog, which I recommend. </span><a class="" href="https://www.lflegal.com/2018/09/doj-cut/" style="font-family: Helvetica;">https://www.lflegal.com/2018/09/doj-cut/</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"> </span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #303030; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 28.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AFFIRMS ADA’S COVERAGE OF WEBSITES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 9pt; text-transform: uppercase;">POSTED ON <a href="https://www.lflegal.com/2018/09/doj-cut/"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">SEPTEMBER 28, 2018</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">A September 26, 2018 article in the Credit Union Times brought a sigh of relief to those working for an accessible, inclusive digital world. The article was titled <a href="https://www.cutimes.com/2018/09/26/doj-refuses-request-to-issue-ada-guidance-for-webs/?slreturn=20180826182030"><span style="color: #315775;">DoJ Refuses Request to Issue ADA Guidance for Websites</span></a>. It announced that the Department of Justice was not going to issue any new regulations about web accessibility and the ADA. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">Under the current administration this is welcomed news. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">A copy of the DOJ’s letter is linked to the Credit Union Times’ article. It is reprinted here in full so an accessible version is available to anyone who wants to read it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;"><a href="https://www.lflegal.com/2018/09/doj-cut/#DOJ8217s-Response-to-103-Members-of-Congress"><span style="color: #315775;">DOJ’s Response to 103 Members of Congress</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #315775; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 21pt;">DOJ’s Response to 103 Members of Congress<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">The DOJ’s letter was sent to Congressman Ted Budd. In June of this year the Republican from North Carolina had joined 103 members of Congress in sending a letter to the DOJ asking the Department to issue regulations in response to a significant number of lawsuits filed against credit unions. <a href="https://www.adatitleiii.com/2018/06/member-of-congress-urge-doj-to-declare-that-private-website-accessibility-lawsuits-violate-due-process/"><span style="color: #315775;">Read about the June, 2018 letter to DOJ in the Seyfarth Shaw ADA Title III blog</span></a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">The DOJ’s September 25, 2018 letter is unequivocal in describing the application of the ADA to websites:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 17pt;">The Department first articulated its interpretation that the ADA applies to public accommodations’ websites over 20 years ago. This interpretation is consistent with the ADA’s title III requirement that the goods, services, privileges, or activities provided by places of public accommodation be equally accessible to people with disabilities. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">September 25, 2018 letter from Assistant Attorney General, US Department of Justice</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 17pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">The DOJ’s letter also reminds the congressman that “the Department has consistently taken the position that the absence of a specific regulation does not serve as a basis for noncompliance with a statute’s requirements.” (This is something I have written about for a long time, including last December’s post titled <a href="https://www.lflegal.com/2017/12/withdrawn-regs/"><span style="color: #315775;">No ADA Web Accessibility Regulations? No Excuses</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #315775; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 21pt;">Full text of September 25, 2018 Letter From the U.S. Department of Justice <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">U.S. Department of Justice<br />Office of Legislative Affairs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">Office of the Assistant Attorney General<br />Washington, D.C. 20530<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">The Honorable Ted Budd<br />U.S. House of Representatives<br />Washington DC 20515-0001<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">Dear Congressman Budd:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">This responds to your letter dated June 20, 2018, regarding website accessibility for public accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We apologize for our delay in responding your letter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">As you may know, on December 26, 2017, the Department of Justice (the Department) published a Notice of Withdrawal of Four Previously Announced Rulemaking Actions in the Federal Register. 82 Fed. Reg. 60932 (Dec. 26, 2017). Two of the withdrawn rulemakings were related to the accessibility of web information and services under the ADA. The first withdrawn rulemaking (RIN 1190-AA61) covered accessibility of web information and services of public accommodations. The second withdrawn rulemaking (RIN 1190-AA65) covered accessibility of web services of state and local governments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">As indicated in the Notice of Withdrawal, the Department is evaluating whether promulgating specific web accessibility standards through regulations is necessary and appropriate to ensure compliance with the ADA. The Department will also continue to review its entire regulatory landscape and associated agenda, pursuant to the regulatory reform provisions of Executive Order 13771, “Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs” and Executive Order 13777, “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">The Department first articulated its interpretation that the ADA applies to public accommodations’ websites over 20 years ago. This interpretation is consistent with the ADA’s title III requirement that the goods, services, privileges, or activities provided by places of public accommodation be equally accessible to people with disabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">Additionally, the Department has consistently taken the position that the absence of a specific regulation does not serve as a basis for noncompliance with a statute’s requirements.</span><sup><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.lflegal.com/2018/09/doj-cut/#fn1"><span style="color: #315775;">1</span></a></span></sup><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;"> Absent the adoption of specific technical requirements for websites through rulemaking, public accommodations have flexibility in how to comply with the ADA’s general requirements of nondiscrimination and effective communication. Accordingly, noncompliance with a voluntary technical standard for website accessibility does not necessarily indicate noncompliance with the ADA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">We very much appreciate the concerns regarding the impact that the risk of litigation has on covered entities. The Department remains committed to safeguarding accessibility for individuals with disabilities while also working with covered entities to ensure that compliance with the ADA is feasible and sustainable. Given Congress’ ability to provide greater clarity through the legislative process, we look forward to working with you to continue these efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">We hope this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact this office if we may provide additional assistance regarding this or any other matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">Sincerely, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 15pt;">Stephen E. Boyd<br />Assistant Attorney General<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<sup><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 14pt;">1.In Robles v. Dominos Pizza, which you referenced in your letter, the court did not dispute that websites of public accommodations that provide goods or services are subject to the ADA’s accessibility requirements. Rather, the Robles court took issue with the plaintiffs position that compliance with a specific technical standard for web accessibility was necessary to comply with the ADA’s requirements</span></sup><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-63168901999886653642018-09-30T17:25:00.000-04:002018-09-30T17:25:29.490-04:0011th Circuit to Hear Argument in Appeal of First Website Accessibility Case to Go to Trial<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook", serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<b>Federal Court of Appeals to Hear Argument<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>in Appeal of First Website Accessibility Case to Go to Trial<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>The Senate and Dozens of Organizations Weigh In<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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On October 4, 2018, the 11<sup>th</sup>Circuit Court of Appeals will hear argument in Miami in <i>Gil v. Winn-Dixie</i>, which is the first case to have gone to trial on accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of websites for the blind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The trial court ruled fully for the plaintiff, Juan Gil, and ordered Winn-Dixie, the grocery store chain, to make its website fully accessible. The suit was brought and tried by Miami attorney Scott R. Dinin, Civil Rights Attorney, Miami. Co-counsel is Joshua Entin, also of Miami.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the 11<sup>th</sup>Circuit, the case will be argued by David Ferleger, Jenkintown, PA., co-counsel for Mr. Gil. The lower court decision is at <i>Gil v. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc</i>., 257 F. Supp. 3d 1340 (S.D. FL 2017).<o:p></o:p></div>
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When a business’ website is a service welcoming and bringing people to the business, must the website be accessible to blind persons? What does the ADA (enacted before there were any websites!) require? The trial court emphatically recognized the independence which accessible websites support. As Mr. Gil, a paralympic athlete testified, “Why me, as an individual that’s visually impaired, why can I not access the same, goods, services on a website…”<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Organizations representing thousands of businesses are asking the court of appeals to overturn the verdict, arguing that their obligations under the ADA do not extend to websites, and expressing concern about the cost of compliance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The case is generating unusual interest nationally. Six US Senators, led by Sen. Charles Grassley, wrote to Attorney General Sessions on September 4, 2018 to urge limits on ADA website accessibility cases, citing the<i>Gil v. Winn-Dixie</i>case at the outset of the letter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The business community has lined up against the Mr. Gil in a friend of the court brief filed by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, Restaurant Law Center, American Bankers Association, American Hotel & Lodging Association, American Resort Development Association, Asian American Hotel Owners Association, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Association of Realtors®, National Association of Theatre Owners, National Federation of Independent Businesses, National Multifamily Housing Council, and National Retail Federation, and a separate brief by the Florida Justice Reform Institute.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The disability advocacy community’s friend of the court brief is filed by the National Federation of The Blind, American Council of the Blind, American Foundation For the Blind, Association of Late Deafened Adults, Disability Independence Group, Disability Rights Advocates, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Disability Rights Florida, Florida Council Of The Blind, National Association of The Deaf, National Disability Rights Network, National Federation of the Blind of Florida, Washington Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and World Institute on Disability. It is authored by Greg Care, Brown Goldstein & Levy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For copies of the briefs, feel free to write or call Mr. Ferleger, <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="mailto:david@ferleger.com" style="color: #954f72;">david@ferleger.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Keep your eyes on this case….<o:p></o:p></div>
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For <span style="line-height: 32px;">various perspectives:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Forbes:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalnewsline/2017/06/13/first-of-its-kind-trial-goes-plaintiffs-way-winn-dixie-must-update-website-for-the-blind/#108f9fd11b38" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalnewsline/2017/06/13/first-of-its-kind-trial-goes-plaintiffs-way-winn-dixie-must-update-website-for-the-blind/#108f9fd11b38</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Courthouse News Service<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-holds-winn-dixie-supermarkets-website-violates-ada/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-holds-winn-dixie-supermarkets-website-violates-ada/</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Court Decisions Brief – Southeast ADA Center<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.adasoutheast.org/ada/publications/legal/Gil_v_Winn-Dixie.php" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.adasoutheast.org/ada/publications/legal/Gil_v_Winn-Dixie.php</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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“Perspectives from an ADA Lawyer: Practical Implications of the Winn-Dixie Lawsuit”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://medium.com/usablenet/perspectives-from-an-ada-lawyer-practical-implications-of-the-winn-dixie-lawsuit-bf56d104b0ae" style="color: #954f72;">https://medium.com/usablenet/perspectives-from-an-ada-lawyer-practical-implications-of-the-winn-dixie-lawsuit-bf56d104b0ae</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Seyforth Shaw – ADA Title III<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.adatitleiii.com/tag/winn-dixie/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.adatitleiii.com/tag/winn-dixie/</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Advertising News<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.manatt.com/Insights/Newsletters/Advertising-Law/Court-Rules-That-ADA-Applies-to-Website" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.manatt.com/Insights/Newsletters/Advertising-Law/Court-Rules-That-ADA-Applies-to-Website</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Lainey Feingold <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.lflegal.com/2017/06/winn-dixie/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.lflegal.com/2017/06/winn-dixie/</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Fredrickson & Byron:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.fredlaw.com/news__media/2017/06/14/1548/first_federal_trial_on_website_accessibility_winn-dixie_violates_ada" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.fredlaw.com/news__media/2017/06/14/1548/first_federal_trial_on_website_accessibility_winn-dixie_violates_ada</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-24692712771202002582017-04-06T11:00:00.000-04:002017-04-06T11:02:52.985-04:00Special Masters: Recent Developments<div class="WordSection1">
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<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">This reports
on a selection of recent cases of significance to courts and those who serve
courts as special masters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">I have had
the honor to serve a number of federal courts as special master, court monitor,
technical advisor, and one of a three-person committee of court monitors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">Courts
appoint judicial adjuncts in almost all areas of the law and for a variety of
purposes. Often they are appointed in federal court as Special Masters under
Rule 53. Sometimes they are called Court Monitors. Other terms are Technical
Advisors, Compliance Officers and the like. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have published elsewhere on the use of such
adjuncts. The terminology differs; all have in common an obligation to assist
the court and facilitate resolution of case-specific issues with fairness to
the parties.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What relationships between a law firm and a special master are
inconsistent with the law firm’s participation in a case?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">A law firm,
Rao Law Group, sought to enter its appearance for plaintiff to substitute for
another firm in the midst of a complex commercial dispute. A special master was
already involved to the tune of a half million dollars in invoices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Defendant objected due to prior relationships
between the special master and Rao. Rao had recommended the special master for
appointment; Rao and the special master had co-authored articles with one
another and had done business together. The federal district court dened Rao
Law Group’s request to enter the case. The Court found that, if Rao was in the
case, conflict standards for special masters would have prevented the special
master from taking the original appointment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">C.D.S. Inc. v. Zetler</span></i><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 43159
(S.D.N.Y. Mar. 23, 2017)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Is there a difference between a “special master” and a “court monitor”?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">In a school
desegregation case, filed in 1965, the court continues its oversight with the
assistance of an appointed “Court Compliance Officer” who is tasked with “</span><span style="background: white; color: #373739; font-family: "century schoolbook";">monitoring
the integration efforts of the Tangipahoa Parish School System.” One ground for
an appeal from an order on a change in the CCO’s compensation was that the
district court had referred to the CCO as a “special master.” The Fifth Circuit
held that the court’s inherent power to appoint judicial adjuncts is not
meaningfully different from the power to appoint adjuncts under Rule 53 as
special masters.</span><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">The
fact that the district court referred to Massey as a <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">special master</span> is a distinction
without a difference. Although the CCO position was created pursuant to the
court's inherent authority in fashioning equitable remedies, <i>see Ex
parte Peterson</i>, 253 U.S. 300, 312, 40 S. Ct. 543, 64 L. Ed. 919 (1920), the
Board points to no authority to support its argument that the court's inherent
power differs in any meaningful way from its authority pursuant to <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Rule 53</span> to appoint special
masters, <i>see Ruiz v. Estelle</i>, 679 F.2d 1115, 1161 n.240 (5th
Cir. 1982) ("Beyond the provisions of [<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Rule 53</span>] for appointing and making references to Masters, a
Federal District Court has the inherent power to supply itself with this
instrument for the administration of justice when deemed by it essential."
(quoting <i>Schwimmer v. United States</i>, 232 F.2d 855, 865 (8th Cir.
1956)) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted)), <i>amended
in part, vacated in part</i>, 688 F.2d 266
(5th [*202] Cir. 1982). Therefore, the district court's
characterization of Massey as a <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">special master</span> was not an abuse of discretion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">Moore v. Tangipahoa
Parish School Bd</span></i><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">.,
843 F.3d 198, 201-202 (5th Cir. 2016)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How much “ex parte” is too much?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">Rule 53
requires a special master appointment order to address "the circumstances,
if any, in which the master may communicate ex parte with the court or a
party." </span><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/document/?pdmfid=1000516&crid=f94ece98-93b1-43a1-ae30-2879eab09d0a&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fcases%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A5M9F-H3H1-F04F-40X5-00000-00&pddocid=urn%3AcontentItem%3A5M9F-H3H1-F04F-40X5-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=6413&pdshepid=urn%3AcontentItem%3A5M67-0121-DXC8-70G1-00000-00&pdteaserkey=sr11&ecomp=r89tk&earg=sr11&prid=7ff85764-ee70-4a6f-8a95-fb54b32a393e"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">Fed. R. Civ. P. 53(b)(2)(B)</span></a><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">. The Advisory Committee notes to the
2003 amendments recognize that ex parte communications present "troubling
questions." </span><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/document/?pdmfid=1000516&crid=f94ece98-93b1-43a1-ae30-2879eab09d0a&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fcases%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A5M9F-H3H1-F04F-40X5-00000-00&pddocid=urn%3AcontentItem%3A5M9F-H3H1-F04F-40X5-00000-00&pdcontentcomponentid=6413&pdshepid=urn%3AcontentItem%3A5M67-0121-DXC8-70G1-00000-00&pdteaserkey=sr11&ecomp=r89tk&earg=sr11&prid=7ff85764-ee70-4a6f-8a95-fb54b32a393e"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">Fed. R. Civ. P. 53</span></a><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">, Advisory Committee Notes (2003
Amendments). In ruling on a motion for attorney’s fees, the court here
considered whether its ex parte communications with the special master – which
were permitted under the appointment order – would warrant disqualification
under the standards for judicial disqualification.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no inappropriate communication, the
court concluded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">In
this case, Judge Schwab's order appointing Mr. Stroyd expressly
stated that "the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Special
Master</span> may communicate with the Court ex parte on all matters as to
which the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Special Master</span> has
been empowered to act." (Order dated 9/6/13, ECF No. 120.) All of the
communications between Mr. Stroyd and the undersigned pertained
directly to matters within the scope of Mr. Stroyd's appointment. This
Court has not obtained any extrajudicial information concerning the parties or
this litigation that would warrant disqualification of the undersigned pursuant
to §455. Moreover, the Court's review is plenary as to both the factual
and the legal determinations set forth in the Special Master's Report and
Recommendation. Consequently, the Court finds no merit to Plaintiff's objection
insofar as it is premised on communications that may have occurred between
Mr. Stroyd and this Court.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">Arneault v. O'Toole</span></i><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 166408, *14
(W.D. Pa. Dec. 2, 2016)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Can a district court consider additional information in ruling on an
appeal from a special master’s decision?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">This was a
case arising from the July and August 2006 rocket attacks launched by Hezbollah
into northern Israel. Plaintiffs, were victims and sued Iran and North Korea
under the state-sponsored terrorism exception to the Foreign Sovereign
Immunities Act, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1330, 1602 <i>et seq.</i> ("FSIA").
Codified at 28 U.S.C. § 1605A, the exception provides "a federal
right of action against foreign states" that sponsor terrorist acts. <i>Haim
v. Islamic Republic of Iran</i>, 784 F.Supp.2d 1, 4 (D.D.C. 2011).. A special
master heard the evidence and made findings which were appealed to the federal
district court.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">Plaintiffs
did challenge the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Special Master</span>'s
findings of facts or the master’s application of the law. Instead, they asked
that additional information be considered - information that not only was
available prior to the issuance of the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Special Master</span>'s reports, but was not provided in response to
numerous requests by the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Special
Master</span> for clarification. The plaintiffs wanted a different
outcome. The court held that new information cannot be submitted for the
district court’s review of a special master decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">Findings
of fact and conclusions of law are reviewed <i>de novo</i>. Fed. R.
Civ. P. 53(f)(3)(4). Significantly, <i>de novo</i> review "does
not necessarily mean a review that includes the submission of new evidence,
particularly when, as in the instant case, evidentiary proceedings previously
occurred before the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Special Master</span>," <i>Commissariat
a l'Energie Atomique v. Samsung Electronics Co.</i>, 245 F.R.D. 177, 179 (D.
Del. 2007), and the record is "sufficiently developed" to permit the
Court to "merely conduct [*29] a <i>de novo</i> review"
of the challenged decisions and make "its own independent
determination." <i>Lubyv. Teamsters Health, Welfare and Pension Trust
Funds</i>, 944 F.2d 1176, 1185 (3d Cir. 1991)).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">The
plain language of <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Rule 53</span>(f) coupled
with the "sufficiently developed" record before the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Special Master</span> compels the
conclusion that the Court, faced with objections to the <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Special Master</span> reports, is under
no obligation to consider new evidence. The Court is guided by the fact that
the rules governing review of a <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Special
Master</span>'s determinations are analogous to those which guide federal
district courts sitting in an appellate capacity of rulings by magistrates and
bankruptcy courts. In those situations, courts need not consider new evidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">Kaplan v. Hezbollah</span></i><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137938, *28-29
(D.D.C. Sept. 29, 2016)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Special Master Appointment Order in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J.F.
v. Abbott Labs</i>, April 5, 2017, 2017 U.S.Dist. LEXIS 52098.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "century schoolbook";">The order in
this case is significant in several respects: a) its detailed list of special
master roles, b) its anticipatory identification of the “what ifs” of possible
roles which the master might later play in the case, c) its allowance of the
master communicating directly with a party (and thus not through the party’s
attorney) in mediation or negotiation, and d) its address of possible future
changes in the order’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ex parte</i>
communication provisions. (this is the first available text from the court, via
Lexis, and without Lexis’ editorial review; before quoting from this elsewhere,
consult the original docket or a reliable research tool).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h1 align="center" style="line-height: 17.0pt; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; page-break-after: auto; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:5N80-WPR1-DY89-M4V3-00000-00&context="><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; font-size: 14.0pt;">J.F. v. Abbott Labs.</span></i></a><o:p></o:p></h1>
<div align="center" class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">United
States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">April 5,
2017, Decided</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">Case No.
14-CV-847-NJR-SCW Case No. 15-CV-702-NJR-SCW </span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;">*</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">J.F., a minor by BEATRICE SIFUENTES individually as next
friend of J.F., et al., and E.R.Q., a minor by CHRISTINA RAQUEL individually as
next friend of E.R.Q., Plaintiffs, vs. ABBOTT LABORATORIES, INC., Defendant.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Notice"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times";">ROSENSTENGEL, District Judge:</span></b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_4"></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">On March 27, 2017, the Court
entered a Notice and Order regarding the potential appointment of a Special
Master. (Doc. 585). The Order directed the parties to "file any objections
to the Court's intent to appoint the Honorable Daniel J. Stack [Ret.] as
Special Master… on or before April 3, 2017." (Doc. 585, p. 2). The
deadline to object has passed. Plaintiffs did not file an objection; Defendant
filed an affirmative consent to the appointment of the Honorable Daniel J.
Stack as Special Master (Ret.). (Doc. 594).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_5"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times";">I. Appointment of the Special Master</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_6"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">With
no objection to the Court's proposal to appoint The Honorable Daniel J. Stack
(Ret.) as Special Master, the Court enters this Order of Appointment in the cases
of <i>Raquel, Sifuentes, Pyszkowski</i>
(E.P.) and <i>Pyszkowski</i> (C.P.). Judge
Stack's contact</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_7"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">information
is as follows:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_8"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">The
Honorable Daniel J. Stack</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_9"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">711
N. 11th St.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_10"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">St.
Louis, Missouri 63101 djstack@me.com 618-792-8604</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_11"></a><u><span style="font-family: "times";">http://aequitasadr.com/team/daniel-j-stack/</span></u><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_12"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">This
appointment is made pursuant to <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Federal Rule of
Civil Procedure 53</span></i></a> and the inherent authority of the Court.1 As <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a> requires, the Court sets out
below the duties and terms of the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> and reasons
for appointment and directs</span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*2] </span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> the Master to "proceed with all reasonable
diligence." <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">FED. R. CIV. P.
53(b)(2)</span></i></a>.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_13"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times";">II. <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></a></span></b><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc;">(b)(2)</span></a></span></u></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_14"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">The
following discussion sets forth the details of the appointment as required by <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a>:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_15"></a><span style="font-family: "times";"> <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>'s Duties </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_16"></a><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(a)(1)(A)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> states the Court may appoint a <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> to
"perform duties</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_17"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">consented to by the parties." In addition, <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a></span><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(a)(1)(C)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> states the Court may appoint a <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> to
"address pretrial and posttrial matters that cannot be effectively and
timely addressed by an available district judge or magistrate judge of the
district." The Court has reviewed legal authority addressing the duties of
a <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b> that are</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_18"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">1
"Beyond the provisions of [<a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Fed. R. Civ. P.
53</span></i></a>] for appointing and making references to Masters, a federal
district court has 'the inherent power to supply itself with this instrument
for the administration of justice when deemed by it essential.'" <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4W-W850-003B-0318-00000-00&context="><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Schwimmer v.
United States</span></i></a></span><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4W-W850-003B-0318-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc;">, 232 F.2d 855, 865 (8th Cir. 1956)</span></a></span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times";"> (quoting <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4X-53D0-003B-H431-00000-00&context="><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">In re:</span></i></a></span><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4X-53D0-003B-H431-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc;">Peterson</span></a><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4X-53D0-003B-H431-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc;">, 253 U.S. 300, 311 (1920)</span></a></span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times";">); <i>see <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4X-2PT0-003B-G1M4-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc;">Ruiz v. Estelle</span></a></i></span><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4X-2PT0-003B-G1M4-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc;">, 679 F.2d 1115, 1161 n. 240 (5th Cir. 1982)</span></a></span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times";">, <i>cert. denied</i>, <i><u>460 U.S. 1042 (1983)</u></i> (same); <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4W-V6T0-0039-M45Y-00000-00&context="><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Reed v.
Cleveland Bd. of Educ.</span></i></a></span><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4W-V6T0-0039-M45Y-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc;">, 607 F.2d 737, 746 (6th Cir. 1979)</span></a></span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times";"> (the authority to appoint "expert advisors or
consultants" derives from either <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a> or the Court's inherent
power).</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_19"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">permitted
under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Article III of the
Constitution.2</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_20"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">Consistent
with this legal authority and the currently-anticipated needs of the Court, and
considering that the parties do not object, the Court holds that the <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b> shall</span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*3] </span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> have the authority to perform the following duties.3</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_21"></a><span style="font-family: "times";"> Initial Duties </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_22"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">The
<b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b>'s initial duties shall be as follows:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_23"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Evaluate the parties' objections to deposition designations and make
recommendations and reports to the Court on these objections.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_24"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">Given
the fast approaching trial and often unexpected last minute filings, the Court</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_25"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">reserves the right to expand the
Special Master's duties as follows:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_26"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Evaluate any motions <i>in limine</i> and
provide the Court with formal and informal recommended rulings on those
motions.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_27"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Evaluate any other motions the parties may file, and provide the Court with
formal and informal recommended rulings on those motions.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_28"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Provide periodic status reports to the Court.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_29"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Make formal or informal recommendations and reports to the parties, and make
recommendations and reports to the Court, regarding any matter pertinent to the
above- listed duties.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_30"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Communicate and meet with the parties and attorneys as needs may arise in order
to permit the full and efficient performance of these duties.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_31"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Employ staff as may be necessary to assist the Special Master in performing his
duties. The Special Master shall incur only such fees and expenses as may be
reasonably</span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*4] </span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> necessary to fulfill his duties.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_32"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">2 <i>See generally</i> <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">FED. R. CIV. P.
53</span></i></a>, advisory committee's notes, 2003 amendment (discussing the
range of duties and authority of a Special Master<i>); Appointing Special Masters and Other Judicial Adjuncts: A
Handbookfor Judges</i> (5th ed. 2013). </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_33"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">3
This list is meant to be illustrative, not comprehensive. The Court may amend
this Order to add additional duties. With regard to the "Initial
Duties" listed here, the Court will meet with the Special Master to
determine: (1) which motions the Court will rule upon itself without first
receiving a formal, written recommended ruling, and (2) which motions it will
ask the Special Master to provide a formal, written recommended ruling should
the need arise.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_34"></a><span style="font-family: "times";"> Other Duties </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_35"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">The
Court also may call upon the Special Master to undertake any of the</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_36"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">following additional duties<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_37"></a> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 10.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times";">x Assist with preparation for
attorney conferences (including formulating agendas), court scheduling, and
case management.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_38"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Assist with legal analysis of the parties' motions or other submissions,
whether made before, during, or after trials, and make recommended findings of
fact and conclusions of law.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_39"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Assist with responses to media inquiries.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_40"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Direct,</span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*5] </span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> supervise, monitor, and report upon implementation and
compliance with the Court's Orders, and make findings and recommendations on
remedial action if required.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_41"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Interpret any agreements reached by the parties.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_42"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Propose structures and strategies for attorneys fee issues and fee settlement
negotiations, review fee applications, and evaluate parties' individual claims
for fees, as may become necessary.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_43"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Administer, allocate, and distribute funds and other relief, as may become
necessary.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_44"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Adjudicate eligibility and entitlement to funds and other relief, as may become
necessary.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_45"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">x
Monitor compliance with structural injunctions, as may become necessary.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_46"></a><span style="font-family: "times";"> Communications with the Parties and the
Court </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_47"></a><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(b)(2)(B)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> directs the Court to set forth "the circumstances, if
any, in which</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_48"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">the
[<b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b>] may communicate ex parte with the court or a party."
The <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b> may communicate <i>ex
parte</i> with the Court at the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>'s discretion,
without providing notice to the parties, regarding logistics, the nature of his
activities,</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_49"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">management
of the litigation, and other appropriate procedural matters, as well as to
assist the Court with legal analysis of the parties' submissions. The Special</span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*6] </span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> Master
may communicate <i>ex parte</i> with any
party or his attorney, as the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> deems
appropriate, for the purpose of ensuring the efficient administration and
management and oversight of this case, and for the purpose of mediating or
negotiating a resolution of any dispute related to this case. The <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b> shall not communicate to the Court any substantive matter
the <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b> learned during an <i>ex
parte</i> communication between the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> and any
party.4</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_50"></a><span style="font-family: "times";"> <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>'s Record </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_51"></a><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(b)(2)(C)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> states that the Court must define "the nature of the
materials to</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_52"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">be
preserved and filed as a record of the [<b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>'s]
activities." The <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> shall maintain
normal billing records of his time spent on this matter, with reasonably
detailed descriptions of his activities and matters worked upon. If the Court
asks the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> to submit a formal report or
recommendation regarding any matter, the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> shall submit
such report or recommendation in writing, for filing on the case docket. The
Special Master need not preserve for the record any documents created by the
Special Master that are docketed in this or any other court, nor any documents
received</span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*7] </span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> by the Special Master from counsel or parties in this case.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_53"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">4
The Court may later limit the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>'s <i>ex parte</i> communications with the Court
with respect to certain functions, if the role of the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>
changes. <i>See, e.g., In re: Propulsid
Products Liab. Litig.</i>, 2002 WL 32156066 (E.D. La. Aug. 28, 2002) (after the
<b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b> was given additional mediation duties, the scope of his <i>ex parte</i> communications with the parties
and the Court, as well as his record-keeping obligations, changed); <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a></span><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(b)(4)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> (noting that an order of appointment may be amended). On
the other hand, such imposition of different limits on <i>ex parte</i> communications does not necessarily require amendment of
this Order.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_54"></a><span style="font-family: "times";"> Review of the <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b>'s Rulings </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_55"></a><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(b)(2)(D)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> directs the Court to state "the time limits, method of
filing the</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_56"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">record,
other procedures, and standards for reviewing the [<b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>'s]
orders, findings, and recommendations." The <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>
shall either: (1) reduce any formal order, finding, report, ruling, or
recommendation to writing and file it electronically on the case docket via
Electronic Case Filing ("ECF"), or (2) issue any formal order,
finding, report, ruling, or recommendation on the record before a court
reporter. Given the expedited schedule</span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*8] </span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> in this case and pursuant to the Court's authority under <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a></span><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(f)(2)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";">, any party may file an objection to an order, finding,
report, ruling, or recommendation by the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> within <b>7 calendar days</b> of the date it was
filed; failure to meet this deadline results in permanent waiver of any
objection to the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>'s orders, findings, reports, rulings, or
recommendations. 5 Absent timely objection, the orders, findings, reports,
rulings, and recommendations of the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> shall be
deemed approved, accepted, and ordered by the Court, unless the Court
explicitly provides otherwise.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_57"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">If
the Special Master issues an informal ruling or order that is not on the record
either orally, via email, or through other writing, and a party wishes to
object to that ruling or order, the party shall ask the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> to
formalize the ruling or order by filing it on the docket or appearing before a
court reporter. Such request shall be made within three days of issuance of the
informal order or ruling, else the opportunity to object shall be waived. The
procedures and deadlines outlined in this section shall then apply.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_58"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">5 <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a></span><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(f)(2)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> provides that parties may file objections "no later
than 21 days after a copy of the [<b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>'s order,
report, or recommendations] is served, <i>unless
the court sets</i></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*9] </span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "times";"> a different time</span></i><span style="font-family: "times";">."(Emphasis added). Motions for extensions of time to
file objections will not normally be granted unless good cause is shown. The <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b> may, however, provide in his order, finding, report, or
recommendation that the period for filing objections to that particular
document is some period longer than 7 calendar days, if a longer period appears
warranted</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_59"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_60"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">As provided in <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a></span><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(f)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";">(4,5), the Court shall decide <i>de novo</i> all objections to conclusions of law made or recommended by
the <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b>; the Court shall set aside a ruling by the <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b> on a procedural matter only for an abuse of discretion. The
Court shall retain sole authority to issue final rulings on matters formally
submitted for adjudication, unless otherwise agreed by the parties, and subject
to waiver of objection to written orders or recommendations as noted above.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_61"></a><span style="font-family: "times";"> Compensation </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Normal1" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_62"></a><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(b)(2)(E)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> states that the Court must set forth "the basis,
terms, and</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_63"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">procedure
for fixing the [<b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>'s] compensation;" <i>see also</i> <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a></span><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(g)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> (addressing compensation).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_64"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">The
<b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b> will be paid $400 per hour for working time, plus</span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*10] </span></b><span style="font-family: "times";">
reimbursement for reasonable travel and other expenses incurred by the <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b>. The fees and expenses of the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> are
to be divided evenly between the parties. The <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> may
employ other persons to provide clerical and secretarial assistance; such
persons shall be under the supervision and control of the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>,
who shall take appropriate action to ensure that such persons preserve the
confidentiality of matters submitted to the Special Masters for review."</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_65"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times";">F. Other Matters</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_66"></a><span style="font-family: "times";"> Affidavit
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_67"></a><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(b)(3)(A)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> notes that the Court may enter an Order of appointment
"only</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_68"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">after the
[<b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b>] files an affidavit disclosing whether there is any ground
for disqualification under <i><u>28 U.S.C. §
455</u></i>." <i>See also</i> <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Fed. R. Civ. P
53(a)(2)</span></i></a> (discussing grounds for disqualification). The required
affidavit has been submitted, disclosing no grounds for disqualification. (Doc.
586).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_69"></a><span style="font-family: "times";"> Cooperation
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_70"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">The
parties and their counsel, including their successors in office, agents, and</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_71"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">employees, shall fully cooperate
with the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>, and any staff or consultant employed by
the <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b>, and observe faithfully the requirements of any orders of
the Court and rulings by the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b>. The Parties
shall timely comply</span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*11] </span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> with rulings of the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> issued
pursuant to this Order. Pursuant to <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><b><i><span style="color: #0077cc;">Rule 53</span></i></b></a></span><b><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=statutes-legislation&id=urn:contentItem:5GYC-22N1-6N19-F034-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc; font-weight: normal;">(c)(2)</span></a></span></u></i></b><span style="font-family: "times";">, the <b><i><u>Special Master</u></i></b> may, if
appropriate, "impose on a party any noncontempt sanction provided by Rule
37 or 45, and may recommend a contempt sanction against a party and sanctions
against a nonparty." As an agent and officer of the Court, the <b><i><u>Special
Master</u></i></b> (and those working at his direction) shall enjoy the same
protections from being compelled to give testimony and from liability for
damages as those enjoyed by other federal judicial adjuncts performing similar
functions.6</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_72"></a><span style="font-family: "times";"> Access to Information </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_73"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">The
parties will make readily available to the Special Master any and all</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_74"></a> <span style="font-family: "times";">individuals, information,
documents, materials, programs, files, databases, services, facilities and
premises under their control, which the Special Master requires to perform his
duties. The parties will make readily available to the Special Master any and
all facilities, files, databases, computer programs and documents necessary to
fulfill the Special Master's functions under this Order.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_75"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">6 <i>See, e.g., <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4X-BT60-003B-P35Y-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc;">Atkinson-Baker & Assocs., Inc. v. Kolts</span></a></i></span><i><u><span style="color: #0077cc; font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: Times;"><a href="https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=cases&id=urn:contentItem:3S4X-BT60-003B-P35Y-00000-00&context="><span style="color: #0077cc;">, 7 F.3d 1452, 1454-55 (9th Cir. 1993)</span></a></span></u></i><span style="font-family: "times";"> (applying the doctrine of absolute quasi-judicial immunity
to a Special Master).</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_76"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_77"></a><span style="font-family: "times";">The Special Master may require reports from any party in a
format</span><b><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 11pt;"> [*12] </span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"> specified by the Special Master as reasonably required to enable
the Special Master to perform all assigned duties.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_78"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times";">IT IS SO ORDERED.</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_79"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times";">DATED: April 5, 2017</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_80"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times";">_</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_81"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times";">NANCY J. ROSENSTENGEL</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="Bookmark_para_82"></a><b><span style="font-family: "times";">United States District Judge</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-52157778747572600032016-12-12T20:46:00.001-05:002016-12-12T20:46:32.431-05:00Government to GPS-Track People with Autism and Alzheimers<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">A dream or
perhaps a nightmare: a federal bill would provide grants to set up GPS tracking
of individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism and dementia. Who
is next? This is not my imagination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kevin and
Avonte’s Law of 2016 passed on December 8, 2016 in the U.S. House of
Representatives and was sent to the Senate. Likely to be re-introduced in the
new year, the bill would provide grants to law enforcement and nonprofit for </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“ proactive programs to prevent wandering and locate missing
individuals with forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, or
developmental disabilities, such as autism, who, due to their condition, wander
from safe environments.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lest this
raise privacy concerns or a specter of A Disability Big Brother, the bill
forbids the device to be “implanted” or to “create an external or internal
marker.” It must be “non-invasive and non-permanent.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Caregivers could simply apply for the
tracking devices, and the local agencies would be responsible for monitoring
them. The devices would be free to consumers, and the program would be in
operation from 2017 through 2021 but once set up, Congress would have the
ability to reauthorize the new federal program any time after that.”“</span><a href="http://www.theblaze.com/news/2016/12/06/proposed-bill-authorizes-the-federal-government-to-equip-disabled-individuals-with-tracking-devices/"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">http://www.theblaze.com/news/2016/12/06/proposed-bill-authorizes-the-federal-government-to-equip-disabled-individuals-with-tracking-devices/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Supporters
point to tragic deaths and abuse of people with disabilities who have
“wandered”from their homes, while critics question spending millions in public
funds to create a device (and bureaucracy) to track people who are not
dangerous and not criminals. A Daily Caller article conveyed the essence of the
debate: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/08/human-tracking-bill-passes-house/"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">http://dailycaller.com/2016/12/08/human-tracking-bill-passes-house/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">While advocates of the legislation — like Texas Democrat Rep.
Sheila Jackson Lee and New Jersey Republican Rep. Chris Smith — point to
tragedies that could be averted by law enforcement using such technology to
find those with mental disabilities who wander into dangerous circumstances,
others, like Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert, say the good intentions of
the bill could be broadly interpreted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">“While this initiative may have noble intentions, ‘small and
temporary’ programs in the name of safety and security often evolve into
permanent and enlarged bureaucracies that infringe on the American people’s
freedoms. That is exactly what we have here. A safety problem exists for people
with Alzheimer’s, autism and other mental health issues, so the fix, we are
told, is to have the Department of Justice, start a tracking program so we can
use some device or method to track these individuals 24/7,” Gohmert said in his
floor speech.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">He later went on to say, “Sponsors of the bill tell us not to
worry, because they got language in there that says the tracking device cannot
be invasive, it is totally voluntary AND it is only a couple of million dollars
to get it started –so it is not all that much money.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gohmert explained, “It is absolutely staggering that the
Republican majorities in the House and Senate could be so blind to government
overreach that they would allow a federal tracking program, not for criminals
in the U.S., not for terrorists, not for illegal immigrants or even immigrants who
commit crimes, but for people with ‘developmental disabilities’ a term that is
subject to wide misinterpretation. The Senate Republican leaders even brought
it to the floor with almost no one there and asked that the new Big Brother
program be passed without even having a vote at all – someone just asks for
‘unanimous consent.’ Since no one is advised about the bill being brought up,
no one who would object knows to be there, so it passes without anyone ever
actually voting for it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rep. Smith, the bill’s main sponsor, however, argued in a press
release following the passage of the legislation that the bill will fill a
great unmet need, particularly in the autism community—since 2011, over 100
individuals with autism lost their lives after wandering from a safe
environment,” said Smith. “Time and training are of the essence when
individuals wander and Kevin and Avonte’s Law can help equip local law
enforcement with the training and technology to bring these children home
safely.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wouldn’t it
be wonderful if the disability community had another approach. If the choice is
tragic death or a government tracking system, perhaps one might choose the
latter? It turns out that parents of children with disabilities came up with a
simple technological – and sophisticated – way to keep in touch with family who
might lose their way. It is years old.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">There is a great review of a solution by someone who calls
himself, “Autism Daddy” on his blog, </span><a href="http://www.theautismdaddy.com/" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">http://www.theautismdaddy.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;">. The author’s March 15, 2015 entry describes himself as “46
year old neurotypical dad with a 13 year old son with severe, non-verbal autism
& epilepsy.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<a href="http://www.theautismdaddy.com/2015/03/review-of-angelsense-gps-tracking.html"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">http://www.theautismdaddy.com/2015/03/review-of-angelsense-gps-tracking.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The device is called ANGELSENSE. </span><a href="http://www.angelsense.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">http://www.angelsense.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">. The devise was created by Doron Somer, dad of a 17 year
old son with autism. He comes from a technology background but put his career
on hold and started this company a few years ago as a solution for his son and
others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Like so many positive things, this a universal design, and
can be useful in many situations outside the disability context. Here’s Autism
Daddy’s description:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's basically like a one way phone with a gps in it. You
know how you can use Find My Iphone or Find My Friend to track your phone or
your friends phone wherever it is.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is doing pretty much the same thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You preset your home location into it, you charge it
overnight and then when your kid leaves for school in the morning you put it in
his pocket or in his backpack. It attaches to the pocket or backpack with
a little magnetic key. I'm not sure how it works, but it does. The
magnet helps you take the metal cap off, you stick it in the backpack or pants
pocket, you put the cap back on, and no one is getting that device out.
You can see how it attaches in this video.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And then based on how you have set it up it then emails you
and texts you when your kid leaves and arrives at any given location.
When your kid arrives at a brand new location it will notify you,
"In the last 30 minutes Kyle is a place you have not named. Please
name it if it is visited regularly." And you click on the link, a
map shows up of the unnamed location and you name it.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After about a week we had all Kyle's usually places named and
prestored and here is how it works.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wifey [his word, not mine. DF] leaves to take Kyle to school
with the device in his pants pocket and both her & I both get texts and
email alerts saying "Kyle left home at 7:53am" When he arrives
at school we both get notifications that he arrived there. If he leaves
school we get a notification. When he arrives at speech therapy we get a
notification.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then you can click on any of the lines above and see a map of
that location, or the route that was taken while in transit</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is a really smart and intuitive device and the website is
extremely user friendly and smartphone friendly.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ok, so what if there's an unexpected departure? He's
not supposed to leave school until 3pm when wifey picks him up, but we get an
alert that he left school at 11:19am. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then you go on the site, and you go into runner mode, and you
get real time updates to his location (updated every 10 seconds), and you can
"call" the device and you can listen in to get a better sense of
where he is. The sound quality on the listen in feature isn't great, but
it's what you would expect if you had your phone in your pocket, but it gives
you a sense of location (at school, indoors, outdoors, etc).</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That's basically it. It really seems to be better and
different than most of the other products on the market. We have several
friends who have devices that their kids wear around their wrist or ankle all
the time. But when their kids wander off the device doesn't automatically
alert them. They have to know the kid is missing and then they call the
tracking company and the tracking company calls the police. God knows how
much time passes before all that takes place.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://www.angelsense.com/?utm_source=AD&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=ADArticle" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; color: #9c0068; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Angelsense</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">you get notified as soon as your child leaves
or arrives at any location. If there's a deviation from his normal
routine, you'll be notified pretty immediately and react accordingly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So why do I, a disability
justice attorney and consultant, bring this up?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One might avoid both a lot of complex administration and cost – and the
possibility of litigation about government-sponsored individual tracking or its abuse – by
finding ways to support and expand private consumer-driven consumer-conceived
solutions, executed with finesse and compassion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">End</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br />David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-16360000301608676572016-03-19T18:03:00.003-04:002016-03-19T18:03:58.256-04:00Would You Settle a Case in Mediation with a Single Handwritten Paragraph?<div class="MsoNormal">
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Martina Beverly sued her former employer, Abbott
Laboratories for employment discrimination and retaliation, raising ADA and
national origin claims. The parties agreed to private mediation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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During a private mediation, the parties signed a handwritten
agreement stating that Beverly demanded $210,000 and mediation costs in
exchange for dismissing the lawsuit. Abbott later accepted Beverly's demand and
circulated a more formal settlement proposal. After Beverly refused to execute
this draft proposal, Abbott moved to enforce the original handwritten
agreement.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before the mediation, Abbott sent a 6 page typewritten
template as a proposed basis for settlement.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The mediation lasted 14 hours. Both sides were represented
by counsel. Near the end of the mediation, the parties and counsel signed a
HANDWRITTEN agreement which stated:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I Jon Klinghoffer will commit that my client will
communicate to its internal business client the fact that Abbott/AbbVie <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>has offered $200,000 + Abbott/AbbVie pays cost
of mediation to resolve this matter and that Martina Beverly has demanded
$210,000 + Abbott/AbbVie pays cost of mediation to resolve this matter. Both
parties committ [sic] that their offer and demand will remain open until
Tuesday, July 22, 2014, 3:00 PM central.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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The next day, Abbott's counsel emailed Beverly's counsel
stating, "My client has accepted Martina Beverly's demand to resolve her
claims in the above referenced matter for $210,000 plus the costs of yesterday's
mediation. I have attached a draft settlement agreement for your review."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Finished? No. Beverly declined to sign Abbott's document.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Abbott filed a motion to enforce the one paragraph
handwritten agreement. The court The district court granted Abbott's motion,
finding that the parties had entered into a binding settlement agreement that
included all material terms—specifically, the dismissal of the case in exchange
for $210,000 and mediation costs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Plaintiff Beverly appealed. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals
found that the handwritten agreement was sufficient to define the parties
intentions. The absence of other terms from the typewritten proposal (e.g.,
specifically, provisions relating to indemnification, future cooperation
between the parties, Beverly's future employment options with Abbott, the
precise allocation of settlement funds, and express language concerning release
and waiver) did not undermine the conclusion that the single handwritten
paragraph embodied all needed material terms.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
So what should one do to avoid such post-mediation disputes?
I note that a simple sentence ("This is a partial agreement, not effective
until embodied in a final text") would have avoided the dispute. Perhaps
the 14 hours of mediation had so tired the participants that they were happy
they could agree at least on the dollar amount, and, for the moment, all the
rest didn't matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking a few breaths
before leaving the room might have permitted them to reread the handwritten
paragraph to be sure it said what they meant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The court suggests recording communications related to any
final agreements. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>It bears mentioning that a transcript (or some other
recording) of the private mediation session here may have provided important
clarity regarding the parties' beliefs and intentions relating to the
handwritten agreement and the draft proposal. We encourage future litigants to
record any communications that directly relate to final settlement agreements.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Beverly v. Abbott Labs</i>., 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 4799 (7th Cir.,
Mar. 16, 2016).<o:p></o:p></div>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-28552953066554242232016-03-19T17:25:00.000-04:002016-03-19T17:25:08.533-04:00Are Two Meals a Day (and Soy!) Enough for a Prisoner? Is the ADA Violated? The Eighth Amendment?<br />
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Serving two meals a day -- a 10:00 AM brunch and a 4:00 PM dinner -- served to prisoners raises a triable Eighth Amendment claim. So holds an Illinois federal court. The court also found that the prison's Soy diet raises also raises an Eighth Amendment claim.<br />
<br />
The plaintiff maintained that, not only is the meal policy nutritionally inadequate and that it causes health problems, but also that "the policy reflects a conspiracy on the part of the defendants to make a profit by forcing the inmates to buy more food from the prison commissary and to funnel money into the defendants' 'secret accounts.' " <i>Owens v. Shah</i>, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35375 (S.D. IL, March 18, 2016). Prison conditions that deprive inmates of basic human needs, such as inadequate nutrition, health, or safety, may constitute cruel and unusual punishment. <i>Rhodes v. Chapman</i>, 452 U.S. 337, 346 (1981); <i>James v. Milwaukee Cnty</i>., 956 F.2d 696, 699 (7th Cir. 1992).<br />
<br />
Is there a viable ADA claim? The plaintiff prisoner claimed that the policy caused him to suffer from severe headaches, hunger pains, low blood sugar, lethargy, and fatigue. The court found that, although an ADA claim was asserted, there were no facts alleged which might support the prison defendants' liability under the ADA.<br />
<br />
Questions for litigators, both pro se prisoners and attorneys. If the symptoms caused by the bad food policy had been articulated within the ADA rubric, would an ADA violation have been made out? If we have what appears to be a clear constitutional violation, is there any benefit to the litigant to also include the statutory ADA violation?<br />
<br />
<i>Owens v. Shah</i>, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35375 (S.D. IL, March 18, 2016).David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-10984863992936172302016-03-19T17:02:00.000-04:002016-03-19T17:02:08.052-04:00Discovery of Federal Tax Returns in ADA Employment Case<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Must Federal Tax Returns be Produced by ADA Plaintiff?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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A federal court on March 18, 2016 ordered an ADA plaintiff
to produce his tax returns in a case in which lost employment income is
alleged. Plaintiff had injured his shoulder and sued for failure to accommodate
under the ADA and state law.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finding that tax returns are not privileged, the court held
that the employer is entitled to the returns. “While this Court does not
consider the merits of Defendant's claims that Plaintiff may have received
income "under the table," Defendant has shown that there is some
dispute as to the completeness of Plaintiff's wage information.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Besco
v. City of Longview</i>, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35465 (W.D. WA). The spouses’
and other irrelevant information may be redacted. <o:p></o:p></div>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-13625770161857951562016-03-19T15:22:00.001-04:002016-03-19T15:23:07.831-04:00THE FUTURE OF DISABILITY LAW. My book, just published<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">THE FUTURE OF DISABILITY LAW<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Just published!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">David Ferleger, Esq., Editor<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This new volume is available from amazon.com. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">AVAILABLE AT: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Future-Disability-Law-Presentations-Symposium/dp/1491783583/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458411512&sr=8-1&keywords=ferleger"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.amazon.com/Future-Disability-Law-Presentations-Symposium/dp/1491783583/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458411512&sr=8-1&keywords=ferleger</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Among the chapters are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Pathways to Disability
Justice<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .55in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Civil Rights Movements and
People with Disabilities</span></i><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .55in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Access to Courts: A Model
Future, Achieved Today<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">U.N. Convention on the
Rights of People with Disabilities<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Education: The School to
Prison Pipeline<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Medical Decision Process<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .55in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Accommodations, Technology
& the Internet of Things<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .55in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Aging and Disabilities</span></i><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .55in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Offenders with Complex
Communication Needs<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .55in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Criminal Justice and
Disability</span></i><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .55in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What We Decide to Do as
People with Disabilities<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .55in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Disability, the Law of the
Poor and the Future</span></i><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
celebration of the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, nationally recognized disability rights advocates look ahead
to the next twenty-five years of disability law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>From
the introductory essay by David Ferleger, Esq.:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cultural change is the final pathway to which I commend
attention. </span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Many
of the essays in this volume see culture change as an essential underpinning to
advances for people with disabilities. </span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In my view, seeking such
change requires a significantly refined articulation of our goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we talking about accommodation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inclusion?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Assimilation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Disability justice
advocates will need to pay increased attention to defining our direction as the
issues and competing solutions become more nuanced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The essays in this volume delve into the past, examine
the present and anticipate various futures for achieving disability justice.
Understandably, some authors are optimistic, and others question the scope or
possibility of future progress. A number of authors present their own
experiences in earlier civil rights movements as models and inspiration for the
work they do now. Some speak to the issues from the perspective of their own
experience as people with disabilities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One piece of the future appears clear, despite the
unknowns, we know now that we are in the midst of changing a system which sent
people with disabilities to separate places, to enter at the back door, to the
end of the line.</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3819696094571928260#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> As
a distinguished jurist, who happens to be blind, has said, the demand today is
for “front door justice.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What is the future of disability justice? We cannot count
on the past, even past successes, as harbingers of the future. Those successes
might block our visions of the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only our imagination and creativity, and our actions, will unlock the
future<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3819696094571928260#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a>
A cautionary note is appropriate regarding “deinstitutionalization” which ought
to go hand in hand with development of “most integrated” (the phrase is from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Olmstead</i>) community homes for people.
Sometimes, the community has replicated undesirable features of the
institution.<o:p></o:p></div>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-10184644281896984392015-10-07T11:56:00.002-04:002015-10-07T12:02:33.712-04:00U.S. Supreme Court Asked to Hear Case Challenging Mandatory Life Without Parole for Severely Disabled Teenagers<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #232629; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 32px; margin-bottom: 32px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yesterday I filed a petition for certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court seeking review of the question of whether a 2012 decision is retroactive and also asking the Court to clarify that the decision applies to teens with severe mental disabilities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The 2012 decision, </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Miller v Alabama,</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> held that juveniles under 18 are entitled to an individualized sentencing process, and can't be sentenced to mandatory life without parole. Life without parole is a die-in-prison sentence. The Supreme Court is hearing argument next week, October 13, in a case asking the Court to make the 2012 decision retroactive. More than 2,000 prisoners in the U.S. remain in prison having been sentenced to life without parole. Obviously, many are now in middle or old age for something done as a teenager. The Court's 2012 decision discussed at length how "children are different" in terms of vulnerability, maturity, brain development, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My client, Kenneth Davenport, committed murders when he was 18 years and four months old. He was severely mentally ill and psychotic at the time. His sentencing was held in abeyance as he was promptly sent to a mental hospital where he remained for four years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We are asking the Supreme Court, in addition to making the 2012 decision retroactive, to decide that marginally older teenagers be held entitled to individualized sentencing (not mandatory) when they were severely mentally disabled at the time of the trial, and especially where they were considered juveniles under state law. Pennsylvania defines minor at someone 18 and under (like Davenport), not under 18.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We suggest that the Court could hear the case on its own, or hold it in the wings pending decision in the already pending case.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The petition for certiorari: available from me. Will soon be available on the scotusblog web site.</span><br />
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From the Petition:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Clarifying that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Miller’s</i> outer boundary has some flexibility in extreme situations, such as severe mental disability, is reasonable and practical, both with regard to Davenport and to others similarly situated.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Court has recognized that disabilities makes a difference when it comes to a sentence of death. <i>Atkins v. Virginia</i>, 526 U.S. 304 (2002). Just as children are different when it comes to life without parole, children who are severely disabled are different enough to support flexibility in defining who is a juvenile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As <i>Miller</i> teaches, life without parole is an “especially harsh punishment for a juvenile” under all circumstances. It is especially cruel and harsh for a teenager with severe mental illness and psychosis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Permitting severe disabilities to be considered for the marginally older teenager provides a safeguard against a harsh and, for these teens, cruel imprisonment until death. Individualized sentencing must include consideration of such extreme conditions as severe mental illness and psychosis when determining if a die-in-prison sentence is to be imposed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h2>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">The crimes took place 42 years ago, at a time when Davenport was 18 years and four months old, severely mentally ill and psychotic. At 61, he is serving a mandatory life without parole sentence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Miller</i> is not retroactive, and does not apply to him, he will die in prison without there having ever been a review of either his circumstances at the time, including his severe mental illness and psychosis, or of any remorse, personal development or rehabilitation, in the decades since his family’s deaths. Neither deterrence nor punishment justify denial to Davenport of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Miller</i> individualized sentencing.</span></h2>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-47940022993986682522015-08-17T15:10:00.001-04:002015-08-17T15:10:46.627-04:00“No Defendants, You Can’t Use HIPPA to Deny Discovery”: Practical Advice to Avoid Discovery Battles Over Medical Records (Sarah Poppy Alexander article)<br />
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<span class="s1">The following article is not my work. It is the well-written and well-researched work of San Francisco attorney Sarah Poppy Alexander. She deserves full credit.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">RBGG’s <a href="http://rbgg.com/attorneys/associates/sarah-poppy-alexander/"><span class="s2">Poppy Alexander</span></a> published an article in Law360 on August 14, 2015, “<a href="http://www.law360.com/classaction/articles/690761/no-defendants-you-can-t-use-hipaa-to-deny-discovery"><span class="s2">No Defendants, You Can’t Use HIPPA to Deny Discovery</span></a>.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">One can join Law360 for free trial at its website. Allow me to suggest you check it out.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>“No Defendants, You Can’t Use HIPPA to Deny Discovery”: Practical Advice to Avoid Discovery Battles Over Medical Records</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1">By Sarah Poppy Alexander, Rosen, Bien, Galvan & Grunfeld LLP</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) accomplishes two things: It provides important protections for the privacy of patients’ sensitive medical information while simultaneously providing the means for legitimately obtaining that information. HIPAA was never intended to bar the legitimate discovery of relevant medical records in litigation. Yet a number of defendants use HIPAA to block discovery of patient medical records in institutional class action cases. Some defendants may do so out of confusion about what their obligations under HIPAA actually entail; others may do it deliberately to thwart the flow of information. Regardless of defendants’ intent, plaintiffs’ counsel need to familiarize themselves with the content of the HIPAA regulations to avoid unnecessary and costly discovery delays in large institutional class action cases. Counsel should be prepared to address HIPAA issues early in the litigation process for all cases where medical records may be relevant. Doing so will help ensure the free flow of necessary information and sidestep unnecessary discovery fights.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">HIPAA Provides Guidelines for Obtaining Medical Information</span></div>
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<span class="s1">HIPAA provides both protection for patients’ medical information and guidelines for how and why this information may be shared. HIPAA includes a number of provisions protecting the privacy of medical information stored by so-called “covered entities.” It also provides that this information may be disclosed pursuant to a signed records release or in limited circumstances outlined in federal regulations.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Covered entities” often overlook the second half of what HIPAA does, choosing to see it only as protective of information and not as a guideline for information flow. This may stem from a legitimate concern about the stiff penalties covered entities can incur for violating HIPAA, or it may stem from a general reluctance to share information.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">For most lawyers, the most important HIPAA guideline for the flow of information is 45 C.F.R. § 164.512(e): “Disclosures for judicial and administrative proceedings.” This subsection permits the disclosure of protected health information in three litigation-specific circumstances: (1) in response to a court order; (2) in response to a subpoena or discovery request if the requesting party provides “satisfactory assurance” that “reasonable efforts” to provide notice to the individual have occurred or (3) in response to a subpoena or discovery request if the requesting party provides “satisfactory assurance” that “reasonable efforts” to obtain a “qualified protective order” have occurred.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Generally, obtaining a qualified protective order will be the most expeditious means of obtaining protected health information. Fortunately, the regulations specify exactly what needs to be in a qualified protective order in 45 C.F.R. § 164.512(e)(v): It must “[p]rohibit[] the parties from using or disclosing the protected health information for any purpose other than the litigation or proceeding for which such information was requested” and “[r]equire[] the return to the covered entity or destruction of the protected health information (including all copies made) at the end of the litigation or proceeding.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Practically speaking, in any litigation where medical records may be requested in discovery, counsel should ensure that a protective order with these two clauses is in place before issuing any discovery request. It may also be helpful to include a clause within the order that “this protective order is a qualified protective order pursuant to 45 C.F.R. § 164.512(e)(v).”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Covered entities may not be familiar with the idea of the qualified protective order. They are more likely to be comfortable requiring the written authorization of a patient before permitting the release of medical information. Defendants may go so far as to claim that this is the <i>only</i> method for releasing the records at issue. Obtaining written authorization may, in fact, be the quickest and best solution in a case where the medical care provided to only one or two individuals is at issue, such as a typical medical malpractice case. But in larger class action cases, obtaining authorizations for every individual will be impractical and expensive at best and most likely impossible. In those cases, the qualified protective order will be far more effective and expeditious.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The Interaction Between HIPAA and the Federal Right to Medical Privacy</span></div>
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<span class="s1">HIPAA does not create any new federal privacy rights. The Seventh Circuit held as much in <i>Northwestern Memorial Hospital v. Ashcroft</i>, 362 F.3d 923 (7th Cir. 2004), which is widely accepted as the correct interpretation of HIPAA’s limitations. Despite this, some defendants will claim that HIPAA creates a federal privacy right in each patients’ medical information. Defendants will then attempt to use this argument to shield discovery. That simply is a misunderstanding of the law. HIPAA cannot be used to limit legitimate discovery on the basis of privacy.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Even though HIPAA does not create new federal privacy rights, there is a general federal right to privacy in one’s medical information. This federal common law right is not absolute and will be balanced by a court against a party’s demonstrated compelling need for obtaining the information. <i>See, e.g.</i>, <i>Hutton v. City of Martinez</i>, 219 F.R.D. 164, 166 (N.D. Cal. 2003). The HIPAA regulations do not address this federal right to privacy at all and fail to specify precisely what a HIPAA-compliant protective order authorizes. Practically, this means that before authorizing discovery of medical records, a court may need to balance plaintiffs’ need for all of the information contained in the records. The two most important unresolved areas for most institutional class action suits will be whether redactions are mandated, allowed, or prohibited, and whether class certification shifts the federal privacy balance in favor of the plaintiffs.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Redactions</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Nothing in the HIPAA regulations states whether a medical record may be redacted to eliminate identifying information before production pursuant to a HIPAA-compliant protective order. Defendants may again use this issue to try to slow down discovery by claiming that the process of redacting identifying information is required, but is too burdensome and costly.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Depending on the case, redactions may not matter for proving the substance of a claim. Defendants’ need or desire to redact certain information means that there will be an argument about the burdensome and expensive nature of providing the redacted records plaintiffs seek. For this reason alone, it may be better to fight for unredacted medical records regardless of whether the patient’s information is relevant to a specific case. Unfortunately there is no good guidance in the case law about whether parties in pre-certification institutional class litigation have a right to unredacted medical information if said information is produced pursuant to a qualified protective order. The judge will ultimately weigh the need for unredacted information against the federal right of privacy—HIPAA will have nothing to do with it. Different judges have taken very different approaches to this balancing test. In at least a few cases, courts have allowed the production of unredacted medical information prior to class certification. <i>See</i> <i>Gray v. Cnty. of Riverside</i>, No. 13-00444, 2014 WL 5304915, at *15 n.6 (C.D. Cal. Sept. 2, 2014); <i>Kallas v. Carnival Corp.</i>, No. 06-20115, 2007 WL 2819385, at *2 (S.D. Fla. Sept. 25, 2007). Other courts have presumed that only redacted information is available pre-certification. However, in many of these cases, the plaintiff did not seek unredacted information, meaning that the judge did not directly consider the redaction question. <i>See, e.g.</i>, <i>Allen v. Woodford</i>, No. 05-1104, 2007 WL 309485, at *11-12 (E.D. Cal. Jan. 30, 2007).</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Class Certification</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Another unresolved question about the scope of a qualified protective order is whether class certification is an important marker in the balancing of federal privacy rights. Nothing in the HIPAA regulations speak to this. Yet courts have consistently presumed that post-class certification, the plaintiffs have a greater interest in the medical data, shifting the weight of the balance towards disclosure. <i>See</i> <i>Romano v. SLS Residential Inc.</i>, 298 F.R.D. 103, 114-15 (S.D.N.Y. 2014); <i>Ginest v. Bd. of Cnty. Comm’rs of Carbon Cnty.</i>, 306 F. Supp. 2d 1158, 1159-60 (D. Wyo. 2004). Thus, even if a court is unconvinced that plaintiffs’ need for unredacted information pre-certification is sufficient to overcome any privacy interests defendants may assert, plaintiffs should be prepared to argue that once individual class members are officially plaintiffs, it is plaintiffs’ counsel’s job—not defendants’—to protect their privacy interests.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">What Privacy Rights Are Not in Play: State Privacy Laws</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">As just discussed, federal privacy rights do interact with HIPAA to define the scope of medical record discovery in federal cases. State privacy laws, on the other hand, are not relevant. Despite this, a favorite blocking tactic of some defendants is to claim that state medical privacy rules prevent the production of patient medical records. State privacy laws are generally more protective than the federal rules; however, they are not applicable to injunctive relief cases arising under federal law. <i>See Delaney v. Tilton</i>, No. 07-1219, 2008 WL 4298179, at *3 (E.D. Cal. Sept. 18, 2008). Whether defendants assert these state rights out of ignorance or to stymie discovery, such assertions should be immediately counteracted through the meet-and-confer process.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Three Steps to Obtaining Needed Discovery under HIPAA</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Based on the above considerations, a recommended strategy for heading off unnecessary discovery fights would be as follows:</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Get the judge on your side early.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In cases where you know that you will need medical records and that obtaining signed releases will be impracticable or impossible, alert the court to this issue early on. It may make sense, for example, to raise this issue in your initial case management statement. Make sure the judge understands the legal issues and your right to this discovery. If defendants are amenable, get their stipulation to your right to this information at the initial conference.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Draft a HIPAA compliant protective order.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Using the language in 45 C.F.R. § 164.512(e)(v) as your guide, draft a protective order in your case before any discovery has been served. Confirm it is explicitly understood by all parties that the protective order complies with HIPAA and applies to all parties, experts, and relevant third-parties.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Be prepared for a motion to compel.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">If all else fails, be prepared to file a motion to compel. This means knowing the case law on HIPAA, redaction rules, federal privacy rights, applicability of state privacy law, and pre- and post-class certification rules. The cases cited herein should hopefully be a starting point for your meet and confer process.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
David Ferleger thanks Michael Bien</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">ROSEN BIEN GALVAN & GRUNFELD LLP</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">315 Montgomery Street, Tenth Floor</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">San Francisco, CA 94104</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">(415) 433-6830 (telephone)</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1">(415) 433-7104 (fax)</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s3"><a href="mailto:mbien@rbgg.com">mbien@rbgg.com</a></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s3"><a href="http://www.rbgg.com/">www.rbgg.com</a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<br />David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-85921558964900008732015-08-16T20:16:00.001-04:002015-08-16T20:16:25.029-04:00Poor People & Cost of Electronic Court Records: Who Pays?<br />
Nowadays, and for years now, federal court records are created and maintained electronically. People access the records electronically. That is no surprise. But what if one cannot afford to pay the fees for electronic access? And suppose a party in a lawsuit cannot afford those fees? The law is not entirely settled on this issue.<br />
<br />
Poor people's access to the civil judicial system depends on resolving the electronic access fee question. Fees can be waived, but what conditions might be placed on the electronic access?<br />
<br />
A Montana federal district court a few days ago ruled that a poor person raising a claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act is entitled to access to the federal court electronic filing ("ECF") system without paying the usual fees for that access. <i>Ashton v. De Jana</i>, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 106794, *2 (D. Mont., August 13, 2015).<br />
<br />
The Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule issued by the Judicial Conference of the United States provides for an exemption if the person has "demonstrated that an exemption is necessary in order to avoid unreasonable burdens and to promote public access to information."<br />
<br />
Robin Ashton had filed on her own a federal ADA lawsuit asserting that she has multiple disabilities for which special accommodations are needed to be made at a state court facility. While the federal court ultimately did not permit her to proceed with the federal claims (which would impermissibly have interfered with state court proceedings), the court imposed some conditions on the ECF access:<br />
__________<br />
<i>1. This exemption granted is expressly limited to her access to the electronic records contained in this case, CV 15-66-M-DLC-JCL. Ashton is cautioned that her use of this exemption and the PACER system to access electronically stored data, information and documents in anything other than this case will result in the immediate revocation of this exemption.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>2. Ashton shall not sell the data obtained as a result of her exemption, and she must not transfer any data obtained, unless expressly authorized by the Court,</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>3. Ashton's exemption shall terminate upon the entry of a final judgment in this case, CV 15-66-M-DLC-JCL, or by August 15, 2016, whichever occurs first, . . .</i><br />
__________<br />
<br />
The above is one court's answer to the electronic access question. But other efforts have not fared as well. For example, a Mr. Emrit sued PACER (which administers the ECF system for the federal government) and, relying on the ADA, claimed that, without access, he was being discriminated against. The court threw out his claim, finding that the ADA does not apply to the federal government. Emrit v. Pub. Access to Court Elec. Record , 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 155631, *5 (W.D. Tex. May 20, 2014). Emrit had earlier sought to use PACER for legal research and he was found not to have satisfied the above-quoted exemption standard. <i>Emrit v. Central Payment Corp.</i>, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33697, 2014 WL 1028388 (N.D. Cal. 2014).<br />
<br />
To be sure, some courts do seek to accommodate the needs of disabled parties, though the extent of what is offered may reach the limits of what courts can do. See, for example, the examples cited by the court in <i>Anaya v. Marin County Sheriff</i>, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4220, *2-3 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 9, 2015):<br />
<br />
__________<br />
<i>As noted in prior orders, the Court has provided plaintiff with reasonable accommodations; including frequent extensions of time, appearance by phone, access to PACER and electronic case filing, and personalized assistance by the Court's IT department and my Courtroom Deputy. Plaintiff's problems — her pain and concentration/cognitive issues, her need for Dragon Legal software, her "poor access to online time" — cannot otherwise be addressed by the Court.</i><br />
__________<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-69521911847227114232015-08-08T14:27:00.003-04:002015-08-08T14:27:50.197-04:00“You are not welcome here.” ADA Access to Music Festivals and Other Outdoor Venues<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“You are not welcome here.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">ADA Access to Music Festivals and Other Outdoor
Venues<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>David Ferleger, Esq.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><a href="http://www.ferleger.com/">http://www.ferleger.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>215-887-0123<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If I love music and use a wheelchair, the concert hall
should have space for me to sit. If I love sports, the ballpark or arena will
have space set aside for wheelchair users. If I am an amputee or on crutches,
I’ll be able to drive up close to the venue so I can enter without much
inconvenience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But suppose I have tickets to a music or other
festival, or other outdoor event, where the main stage, the main action, is
distant from the satellite parking lots. Suppose I want to attend a public
concert in Central Park NYC or another large urban event when streets are closed
to traffic for many blocks in all directions. There may be shuttles but not
handicap-accessible vehicles. There may be some reserved handicap parking
spaces, but not enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">After recounting the challenge of individuals with
mobility disabilities in accessing large outdoor venues, I argue that a) the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that, if a venue offers shuttle
service to the non-disabled, then people with disabilities must be provided
accessible transportation from parking lots to main stage, and b) regardless of
what is offered to the non-disabled, a venue must provide accessible
transportation as an accommodation under the ADA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Beyond the scope of this analysis, but subject to the
same principles, is access for disabled musicians, access to multi-location
events, access to beaches and parks and mountain areas, and the like. At the
end of this piece, I describe how one tour producer’s expansive access
practices benefits both performers and attendees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Festival Access: The
Experience<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Access
to outdoor venues is very much a live issue among people with
disabilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A concert goer with cerebral palsy explained it is important to
her that she is provided equal access to entertainment venues because, “there’s
no replacement for the unparalleled rush of emotional energy that comes from
seeing an amazing concert. This enjoyment shouldn’t be something limited to
those who can stay on their feet for hours on end.” Annie Zaleski, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“You Are Not Welcome Here”: At Concerts and
Music Festivals, Fans with Disabilities Are Too Often Shut Out, Endangered and
Ignored</i>, Salon (Jul. 1<sup>st</sup>, 2015). Available at <a href="http://www.salon.com/2015/07/01/you_are_not_welcome_here_at_concerts_and_music_festivals_fans_with_disabilities_are_too_often_shut_out_endangered_and_ignored/">http://www.salon.com/2015/07/01/you_are_not_welcome_here_at_concerts_and_music_festivals_fans_with_disabilities_are_too_often_shut_out_endangered_and_ignored/</a>
. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sean
Gray, a 32 year old with cerebral palsy, explains disability discrimination at
music venues to be, “no different than any other kind of oppression.”<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> </span>Katie Toth, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Disabled Musician Shines a Light on the Accessibility of New York’s
Venues</i>, The Village Voice (Jan. 19<sup>th</sup>, 2015).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Available at <a href="http://www.villagevoice.com/news/a-disabled-musician-shines-a-light-on-the-accessibility-of-new-yorks-venues-6686981">http://www.villagevoice.com/news/a-disabled-musician-shines-a-light-on-the-accessibility-of-new-yorks-venues-6686981</a>
. Gray pointedly questioned: "What if you're not allowed to go to a venue
because you're gay or a person of color? That's what this feels like." <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Id. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Part of the reason
show-goers don’t see people with disabilities at shows is partly due to the
fact that our needs aren’t being met in terms of accessibility. It’s not
because we don’t exist, it’s because how can we go somewhere that we can’t
access?’ Josh Sisk, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sean Gray confronts
gap in venue accessibility for people with disabilities in Baltimore and beyond</i>,
City Paper (April 8<sup>th</sup>, 2015). Available at <a href="http://www.citypaper.com/music/bcpnews-sean-gray-confronts-gap-in-venue-accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-in-baltimore-and-beyond-20150407-story.html">http://www.citypaper.com/music/bcpnews-sean-gray-confronts-gap-in-venue-accessibility-for-people-with-disabilities-in-baltimore-and-beyond-20150407-story.html</a>
.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
order to combat this discrimination, Gray created a website called, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is This Venue Accessible?</i>, which can be
accessed at <a href="http://www.itvaccessible.com/">http://www.itvaccessible.com</a>.
The site allows users to write reviews on the accessibility of venues in cities
across the country<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="MsoIntenseEmphasis"><span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The ADA and Large Outdoor
Music and Other Venues<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What access is guaranteed by the Americans with
Disabilities Act to such large outside venues? There is no doubt that festival
venues must comply with the ADA. 42 U.S.C. §12181(7)(C) (“concert hall,
stadium, or other place of exhibition or entertainment), (D) (“convention
center. . . or other place of public gathering”), (I) (“a park, zoo, amusement
park, or other place of recreation”). For convenience, let’s call them
‘festival venues’ although they include non-festivals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In many cases, festival venues provide shuttles to and
from parking lots for people without disabilities. Shuttle vans and buses in
this situation are typically not handicap accessible. Should wheelchair
accessible transportation be provided so that people with disabilities have the
same access as the non-disabled?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
conclude that festival venues required to provide special transportation
services for people with mobility disabilities as an accommodation under the
ADA?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The general ADA Title III anti-discrimination rule applies. Under
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">42 U.S.C.S. § 12182</span> of the ADA, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">No
individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the
full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges,
advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any
person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation.<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> 42 USCS § 12182</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Further, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">§ 12182</span>(2)(A)(ii)
explains that discrimination includes, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">a
failure to make reasonable modifications in policies, practices, or procedures,
when such modifications are necessary to afford such goods, services,
facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations to individuals with
disabilities, unless the entity can demonstrate that making such modifications
would fundamentally alter the nature of such goods, services, facilities,
privileges, advantages, or accommodations.<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> § 12182</span>(2)(A)(ii)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For individuals with disabilities to participate in the
full and equal enjoyment of</span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> a festival, they must have access to the main entrance, thee
stages, and festival area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not
enough to provide handicap accessible parking if the individuals are unable to
get from the parking area to the location at which the events are taking
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Satellite parking lots are by
definition far from the main event; individuals with disabilities are incapable
of traveling to the festival grounds due to barriers such as grass, uneven
terrain, unpaved or improperly paved walkways without curb cuts, or the
necessity to travel over highways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such
barriers may also exist within the event area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sometimes,
on-site reserved nearby handicap parking is provided, but these may be few in
number and filled by the time some attendees arrive. Venues which provide
reserved spaces for handicap parking need to provide transportation to and from
any additional areas used for ADA accessible parking if there are not enough
handicap parking spaces available at the time of the event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The solution
required by the ADA, I believe, is to ensure that individuals who are
mobility-disabled and those who are not disabled both have access to the
festival venue and, therefore, if transportation is provided for the
non-disabled, accessible transportation must be provided for people with
mobility disabilities. Whether the festival venue is owned or rented by the
event producer does not matter; both are responsible for ensuring access. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">PGA
Tour, Inc. v. Martin</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, 532
U.S. 661, 669-670 (2001) (a private entity which stages time-limited events at
a facility owned by a third party is covered by the ADA); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Disabled Rights Action Comm. v. Las Vegas Events, Inc.,</i></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">375
F.3d 861, 865 (9<sup>th</sup> Cir. 2004) ( “two private entities that stage the
rodeo finals at a public arena “operate” the arena and must comply with ADA
accessibility rules). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The ADA’s
integration mandate supports the conclusion that a venue which provides shuttle
transporation to the event area must also provide wheelchair accessible
transportation; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“a primary goal of the
ADA is the equal participation of individuals with disabilities in the
‘mainstream’ of American society.”<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">
Americans with Disabilities Act, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ADA
Title III Technical Assistance Manual Covering Public Accommodations and
Commercial Facilities</i>, available at http://www.ada.gov/taman3.html.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>In order to achieve this goal,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1)
Individuals with disabilities must be integrated to the maximum extent
appropriate; 2) Separate programs are permitted where necessary to ensure equal
opportunity. A separate program must be appropriate to the particular
individual; 3) Individuals with disabilities cannot be excluded from the
regular program, or required to accept special services or benefits.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Id.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">See</span></i><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd.</i>, 545 U.S. 119, 128-29 (2005)
(Supreme Court held cruise ships are “public accommodations” and “specified
public transportation under Title III of the ADA). Relying on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spector</i>, the court in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baughman v. Walt Disney World Co.</i>,
summarized the principle: “Public accommodations must start by considering how
their facilities are used by non-disabled guests and then take reasonable steps
to provide disabled guests with a like experience.”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Baughman v. Walt Disney World Co., </i>685 F.3d 1131, 1135 (9<sup>th</sup>
Cir. 2012).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
an individual with disabilities is denied an accommodation, or accessible
parking and transportation to the main entrance of an event is not provided, it
is impossible to integrate the individual into the mainstream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without accessible transportation from the
parking areas, an individual with disabilities faces obstacles that may not be
apparent to individuals who do not have a disability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, in one case, the plaintiff
alleged he was unable to “attend programs, services, and activities hosted at
the Stadium because of overly steep ramps, inaccessible restrooms, an
inaccessible path from parking provided for persons with disabilities to the
Stadium, and insufficient wheelchair-accessible seating.”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Eames v. S. Univ. & Agric. & Mech. College</i>, 2009 U.S.
Dist. LEXIS 97452 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(M.D. La.) at 3
(access at stadium including “inaccessible path from parking provided for
persons with disabilities to the Stadium”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cortez v. City of Porterville</i>, the
plaintiffs alleged a lack of access to a sports complex, which caused them to
experience “difficulty reaching the playing field because the only way to get
from the parking facility to the playing field was by traversing over grass.”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Cortez v. City of Porterville</i>, 5
F.Supp.3d 1160, 1163 (E.D. Cal. 2014) (denying motion to dismiss).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plaintiffs were attempting to get to the
sports complex safely with their granddaughter who uses a wheelchair, but “the
grass was too high for Mr. Cortez to push his granddaughter in her wheelchair
safely so Mr. Cortez carried his granddaughter across the grassy area while his
wife pushed her empty wheelchair.”</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Id. </span></i><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">at 1163. <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Similarly,
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daubert v. City of Lindsay</i>, the
plaintiff and his great-granddaughter were unable to travel through a park due
to “sandy paths that encumbered their navigation through the Park.”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Daubert v. City of Lindsay</i>, 37 F. Supp.
3d 1168, 1176 (E.D. Cal. 2014) The Plaintiff alleged, “the Park facilities
cause him and his great-granddaughter to ‘experience difficulty and feel
anxious, embarrassed, conspicuous, unwelcomed and like second class citizens.’”</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Id.</span></i><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> This is not the situation of an
individual who is integrated into the mainstream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The court denied the City’s motion to dismiss
the plaintiff’s Title II ADA claim on issues of standing</span><span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">.<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What is
provided to the non-disabled must be provided to people with disabilities. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">White v. NCL Am., Inc.</i>, 2006 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 24756, 3 (S.D. Fla. 2006) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(</i>cruise
ship sued for several barriers to accessibility including “inadequate <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">transportation</span> and access to
excursions which are offered to non-disabled passengers”;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>motion to dismiss denied); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doud
v. Yellow Cab of Reno, Inc.</i>, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26700, 3 (D. NV. 2015)
(taxi transportation at airport; Yellow Cab provided services to disabled individuals,
but discriminated against Doud due to her electric wheelchair); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Davis v. Biggers</i>, <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 150865</span> (S.D.
Tex. 2013) (wheelchair-using student; university provided free shuttle service
for students to get around campus, but denied disabled students the same
accommodation; plaintiff’s<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>request
for declaratory and injunctive relief were dismissed after university acquired
a handicap-accessible van). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
so-called “intent to return” test (if it is valid at all) cannot apply to
festival venue cases. Several courts have relied on an “intent to return” test
which evaluates, among other things, the plaintiff’s past patronage and the definitiveness
of the plaintiff'<b>s</b> plan to return. See <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harty v. Burlington Coat Factory of Pa., LLC, </i>2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
64228, 13 (E.D. Pa. 2011); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">See</i> also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Houston v. Marod Supermarkets, Inc.</i>, 733
F.3d 1323 (11<sup>th</sup> Cir. 2013); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Garner
v. VIST Bank</i>, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 179480 at 14-15. (E.D. Pa. 2013); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Disabled Patriots of Am., Inc. v. City of
Trenton,</i> 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 73010, 9 (D. N.J. 2008) (court allowed the
Plaintiff a chance to explain any factors for why she would return to the
facility in the future, and denied the motion to dismiss); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Access 4 All, Inc. v. 539 Absecon Blvd</i>, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
45499, 22 (D. N.J. 2006) (court explained the distance did not matter as much
as it mattered whether the Plaintiff had “set forth a definitive intent to
return.”);<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Dempsey v. Pistol Pete’s Beef
and Beer, LLC</i>, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 99606, 13 (D. N.J. 2009) (motion for
default judgment was denied based on his inability to show a “definitive plan
to return,” and a failure to address, “proximity, past patronage, and nearby
travel.”)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>The test “is one of
totality,” and not all four factors must be met in order to establish a claim.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Brown v. Showboat Atl. City Propco, LLC</i>,
2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 133106, at 12 (D.N.J. 2010)).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, no courts of appeals have adopted
the “intent to return” test.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Heinzl v.
Starbucks Corp.</i>, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 28635 at 12-13 (W.D. Pa. 2015). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
is not appropriate to apply the “intent to return” test to a location of this
nature because it is typically the case that the festival is not recurring and,
in any event, attendees are often not expected to return. Unlike cases in which
individuals are denied access to fixed structures such as stores, restaurants,
movie theaters, and the like, festival attendees are often one-time visitors;
festivals are often one-time or infrequent events, and prompts people to travel
nationally and internationally in order to enjoy music and other activities
that the festival has to offer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even
if transportation to and from parking areas is not provided for non-disabled
individuals, it is still necessary to accommodate each individual’s disability
on a case by case basis in order to determine what accommodations should be
provided for each individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
individualized process should allow the disabled<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>individual full and equal access to the
venue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Supreme Court in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin</i> explained, “the
ADA’s basic requirement that the need of a disabled person be evaluated on an
individual basis.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PGA Tour, Inc. v.
Martin</i>, 532 U.S. 661, 690 (2001).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Luckily,
some festivals are taking initiative on their own in order to make music venues
more accessible for individuals with disabilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kevin Lyman, the founder of Warped Tour
explains that it is not that complicated for venues and festivals to comply
with the ADA’s access regulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lyman
explained, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When you’re at a big
festival for three days, you have time to build it. Warped is on the move all
the time. Some of the venues are really great; those amphitheaters work really
well. But if we’re in a field, we’re going to put more plywood down so a
wheelchair can roll on it. We’ll have a list of access to more things if we
need them; we rent them locally. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">James Cassar, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Disability
in Music: How Warped Tour Can Be Accessible for Everyone</i>, Alternative Press
(June 26, 2015). Available at
http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/disability_in_music_how_warped_tour_can_be_accessible_for_everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That festival
producer has added new accessibility features this year including, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">private accessible bathrooms
to keep those with physical challenges clean and comfortable. This new addition
is one that may usher in others, given the tour’s constant need to accommodate
varying locations and vendors. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Id. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
woman with cerebral palsy quoted at the beginning of this article encountered a
concert venue parking attendant who challenged her, “Do you <i>need</i> to use
the spot?” In general, the disabled concert goer describes the process of
attending an event receives the “subtly non-inclusive message: You are not
welcome here.” Annie Zaleski, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“You Are
Not Welcome Here”: At Concerts and Music Festivals, Fans with Disabilities Are
Too Often Shut Out, Endangered and Ignored</i>, Salon (Jul. 1<sup>st</sup>,
2015). Available at <a href="http://www.salon.com/2015/07/01/you_are_not_welcome_here_at_concerts_and_music_festivals_fans_with_disabilities_are_too_often_shut_out_endangered_and_ignored/">http://www.salon.com/2015/07/01/you_are_not_welcome_here_at_concerts_and_music_festivals_fans_with_disabilities_are_too_often_shut_out_endangered_and_ignored/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
ADA was adopted twenty-five years ago. Its message is that all are welcome
here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>David Ferleger<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><a href="http://www.ferleger.com/">http://www.ferleger.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>215-887-0123<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-42375360634315043482015-08-08T14:20:00.002-04:002015-08-08T14:20:38.606-04:00"Personal injury damages for ADA violations – it can happen."<br />
Texas attorney Richard Hunt posted a piece in 2013 on this question, opening with this statement, "It is universally agreed that the ADA does not create a private cause of action for damages, but that doesn’t mean an ADA violation won’t result in a judgment for damages." <a href="http://accessdefense.com/?p=541">Damages and the ADA</a> Mr. Hunt's site is <a href="http://accessdefense.com/">Accessibility Defense</a><br />
<br />
<br />David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-48052909371987806382015-08-06T17:12:00.000-04:002015-08-06T17:12:20.957-04:00Is the Starbucks experience having a customer face a wall? The ADA says no.
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<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Is
the Starbucks experience having a customer face a wall? The ADA says no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">A
Starbucks in California had indoor tables but those accessible to wheelchair
users faced the wall, not the interior bustling premises. How can one people
watch and be part of the Starbucks community if one has to sit facing the wall?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">A
federal district court (Hon. Lucy H. Koh) recently held that Starbucks
Corporation violated the ADA by denying Robert Kalani the welcoming coffeehouse
environment in which he can enjoy the sense of community offered to nondisabled
customers. Mr. Kalani is a social guy, he likes to strike up conversations with
strangers and watch the goings-on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
sum, “the Court finds that Defendant's operational use of the interior
accessible tables in the Store, which forces disabled patrons to sit with their
backs to the Store, constitute discrimination under 42 U.S.C. §§ 12182(b)(1)(A)(iii)
and 2182(b)(1)(B).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Kalani
v. Starbucks Corp., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 98543, *28 (N.D. Cal. July 28, 2015)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-21086511310033410512015-08-06T16:56:00.001-04:002015-08-06T16:56:48.721-04:00Court to Plaintiff: You “lost” the lawsuit but “won” the access<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">An ADA suit challenging the physical
accessibility of a store or restaurant, or similar location, is filed. The
defendant reacts, “Oh yes, I’ll fix this immediately,” and does so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The defendant then goes to the court and
requests that the suit be dismissed, be thrown out. “All is well now, there’s
nothing to complain about” is the argument. The plaintiff with disabilities
responds, “Wait a minute, the defendant could allow the situation to
deteriorate and, in any event, if this suit is thrown out, then ADA-violating
defendants can always avoid court decisions by doing such quick fix-ups.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The above situation occurs fairly often, I
believe. There is a long-standing legal principle that generally “voluntary
cessation” of an illegal practice does not moot a case. Because illegal
practices can be “capable of repetition, yet evading review,” courts exercise
their jurisdiction to render decisions in such cases.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">In the Title III access situation, private
plaintiffs can win only an injunction, not damages. So once the offensive
condition is fixed, there is an argument that there is nothing more for a court
to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">A Florida federal court dealt with such a case
in an August 4, 2015 decision in Harty v. North Lauderdale Supermarket, Inc.,
2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 101848 (S.D. Fla). Plaintiff Harty sued the North
Lauderdale Supermarket on account of structural barriers such as inadequate
clear floor and other space for bathroom access, and for clearance for use of
seating at dining tables.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Promptly after suit was filed, the store hired
an accessibility expert and remedied all the access issues. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The court dismissed the lawsuit before trial,
after the store argued that “we’re done.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The court stated that"ADA-architectural-barrier
cases are a unique subset of voluntary cessation-doctrine cases." Noting
other decisions on the topic, the court explained: “The fundamental rationale
supporting these cases is that the alleged discrimination cannot reasonably be
expected to recur since structural modifications permanently undo the offending
conduct.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">No absolute rule was adopted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three factors must be considered:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Under
the voluntary-cessation doctrine, a court must evaluate a defendant's assertion
that the case is moot because the offending behavior has ceased by analyzing
three factors: "(1) whether the challenged conduct was isolated or
unintentional, as opposed to a continuing and deliberate practice; (2) whether
the defendant's cessation of the offending conduct was motivated by a genuine
change of heart or timed to anticipate suit; and (3) whether, in ceasing
the conduct, the defendant has acknowledged liability."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Here, the store was sincere in making the
changes, an expert was hired quickly and all needed changes made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no intentional or repeated
misconduct. There was no showing that the store’s actions were merely to avoid
liability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Mr. Harty won access to the grocery store.
There is now room for him to maneuver in his wheelchair. He “lost” the lawsuit
but “won” the access.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Lesson for plaintiffs: Be prepared for a short-lived
litigation if the other side is quick to make changes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1; mso-pagination: widow-orphan; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The mirror-image lesson for defendants: If
plaintiff’s access complaints are valid, admit it, make changes quickly and
with sincerity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-27770263226084450902015-08-06T10:24:00.000-04:002015-08-06T10:24:16.681-04:00Revitalized Website -- http://www.ferleger.com -- Come visit!Revitalized Website -- http://www.ferleger.com -- Come visit!<br />
<br />
I've revitalized my website, http://www.ferleger.com, and invite you to visit, and to let your friends and colleagues know about it.<br />
<br />
Thank you!<br />
<br />
<br />David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-29103320569531684272015-07-28T22:08:00.003-04:002015-07-28T22:08:39.734-04:00Disability Justice ----- Front Door JusticeThis short essay is to suggest adoption of some new terminology. Even this new terminology will have a half life and will succumb to yet newer terminology at some point. But the effort to freshen language may have some benefit.<br />
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Words have weight. Labels carry meaning. And where labels are applied, as they often are, to people who have been devalued or stigmatized, labels affect how those people are treated.<br />
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The Pennhurst institution (Halderman v. Pennhurst State School and Hospital), was originally called an institution for "the epileptic and feeble minded." I have the original architect's drawing of the facility in my office, with that title. Words like "idiot" and "retarded" and "moron" have given way to "developmental disabilities." Clients, patients, inmates, self-advocates, residents, etc., all have or have had their day.<br />
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Among legal advocates, there have been short epochs of terms such as "patients rights," "disability rights," "civil liberties," and more recently "disability law." Very early on, 1972, I founded the first in-hospital legal advocacy group in a mental institution and called it the "Mental Patient Civil Liberties Project." I'd not call it that today.<br />
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I suggest that "DISABILITY JUSTICE" replace the terms "disability law" and "disability rights." The word JUSTICE carries with it nuances of fairness, and right-ness, and references both biblical and other notions encompassed by the breadth of the word JUSTICE.<br />
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Recently, a state court appellate judge speaking in this field, and inspiring lawyers and other advocates in this field, used the phrase, "FRONT DOOR JUSTICE." People with disabilities no longer are willing to have a separate entrance to the halls of justice. People with disabilities are demanding first class entry. No more back door ramp is what the judge is calling for. A great phrase. The judge is blind; he knows whereof he speaks.<br />
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My next step: To see if I can change the title of this blog!<br />
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Your thoughts?<br />
<br />
<br />David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-46832548825694331712015-07-28T21:48:00.001-04:002015-07-28T21:48:52.402-04:00Seeking questions and suggestions for issues to cover in this blogBlogs typically, and appropriately, express the author's thoughts, opinions and information on topics chosen from time to time by the blog's author.<br />
<br />
I've decided here to invite readers to suggest topics on which I might comment, or to request disability law information, or to muse on issues of concern. Note that, of course, on the internet, I cannot provide legal advice on particular individual cases.<br />
<br />
Consider this an experiment in interactive blogging on disability related legal issues.<br />
<br />
Etymology of "blog." Note that this site is already out of date. It classifies blog as a noun, and is unaware that it has become a verb.<br />
<br />
blog (n.)<br />
1998, short for weblog (which is attested from 1994, though not in the sense "online journal"), from (World Wide) Web + log. Joe Bloggs (c. 1969) was British slang for "any hypothetical person" (compare U.S. equivalent Joe Blow); earlier blog meant "a servant boy" in one of the college houses (c. 1860, see Partridge, who describes this use as a "perversion of bloke"), and, as a verb, "to defeat" in schoolboy slang. The Blogger online publishing service was launched in 1999.<br />
--- from http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=blog<br />
<br />David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-91591471208219334702012-02-27T20:42:00.000-05:002012-02-27T20:42:15.864-05:00End-of-Life Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities<br />
<br />
A recent book chapter of interest is titled "End-of-life care for patients with intellectual disabilities," by Irene Tuffrey-Wijne, Annemieke Wagemans, and Leopold Curfs.<br />
<br />
The chapter is in the new book, <u>A Public health Perspective on End of Life Care,</u> by Joachim Cohen and Luc Deliens (Oxford University Press, April 1, 2012).<br />
<br />
Noting the vulnerability of this group, and that this is an aging population, the authors discuss the challenges of providing palliative and end-of-life care services to people with intellectual disabilities.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-70726118622362477102012-02-27T20:12:00.000-05:002012-02-27T20:12:44.646-05:00Bank of America Charged by United States with Disability Discrimination<br />
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Does someone receiving social security disability benefits have to prove that he or she is disabled in order to obtain a home loan? Can the lender force the person with disabilities to prove that benefits will continue?</div>
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The federal government today charged the Bank of America with discrimination for doing just those things.</div>
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From today's news (URL below):</div>
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HUD charges Bank of America with Discriminating against Homebuyers with Disabilities</h1>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><span>The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that it is charging Bank of America with discriminating against homebuyers with disabilities. HUD alleges that Bank of America imposed unnecessary and burdensome requirements on borrowers who relied on disability income to qualify for their home loans and required some disabled borrowers to provide physician statements to qualify for home mortgage loans.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><a href="http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/FHLaws/yourrights" style="color: #20007f; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span>http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/FHLaws/yourrights</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><span><span> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><span>] makes it illegal to discriminate in the terms and conditions of a loan to an individual based on a disability, including imposing different application or qualification criteria, and makes it illegal to inquire about the nature or severity of a disability except in limited circumstances not applicable here.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><span> "Holding homebuyers with disabilities to a higher standard just because they rely on disability payments as a source of income is against the law," said John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "Mortgage companies may verify income and have eligibility standards but they may not single out homebuyers with disabilities to delay or deny financing when they are otherwise eligible."</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><span> HUD's charge is based on a "Secretary-initiated investigation," and the investigation of complaints filed by two individual borrowers in Michigan and one borrower in Wisconsin who claimed that Bank of America required them to provide personal medical information and documentation regarding their disability and proof of continuance of their Social Security payment in order to qualify for a home mortgage loan. The charge is also being issued as part of the work being conducted by the Federal Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force's non-discrimination working group. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><span>According to HUD's charge, Bank of America allegedly asked some borrowers for proof of their disabilities and sought evidence of the continuation of their Social Security income before approving loans, after first denying them. The matter will now be handled by the Department of Justice.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><span>FHEO and its partners in the Fair Housing Assistance Program investigate approximately 10,000 housing discrimination complaints annually. People who believe they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at 800-669-9777 (voice), 800-927-9275 (TTY).</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Palatino, Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 25px;"><span><i> This is from http://www.disaboom.com/disability-rights-and-advocacy-general/hud-charges-bank-of-america-with-discriminating-against-homebuyers-with-disabilities</i></span></span>David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-71676001635952745682012-02-27T08:36:00.000-05:002012-02-27T08:36:29.385-05:00A Disability Is Not a Disability - Advice on Litigation and Specific Data on Disabilities Under ADA/ ADAAAA disability is not a disability is not a disability. There are condition-specific and disease-specific medical and other information which distinguish one disability from another. And these differences cane very important for framing litigation, and for considering needed ADA / ADAAA accommodations.<br />
<br />
Dan Kohrman, at AARP, has some great advice in this regard. Here it is:<br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">This is a message to all disability rights trial lawyers, including but not limited to employment lawyers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Several recent messages on this listserv are very encouraging, in the sense that folks are reaching out to <b>disability-specific organizations</b> (like the <b>American Diabetes Association</b>) to assure that they have an understanding of disabling conditions in order to craft effective briefs, pleadings, and legal arguments under the ADAAA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">But these messages also cause me some anxiety to the extent they may represent things that could be handled perhaps differently, and possibly a lot more effectively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">For instance, it makes sense to contact staff and/or the website of disease- or disability-specific organizations EARLY ON in INVESTIGATING a potential litigation, and at very least early on in litigation itself, to assure that plaintiffs’ counsel master the science and medicine of the condition(s) at issue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Looking for such help any time is obviously better than not, but waiting until late in the litigation (e.g., near to the time of trial) (and I do not know enough about the messages I have seen recently to judge the relevance of this admonition to such messages) is definitely not optimal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Also, it may be dangerous to draw on materials created in the context of ADA claims regarding one disability and apply them to another case involving a very different disability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I only say these things because the ADAAA has given all of us a great opportunity – to get it right this time – by taking full advantage of a revamped and restored definition of disability and thereby to create a favorable body of law for our clients unlike the cramped interpretations of the ADA that have flourished in the courts based on pre-ADAAA law.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">To do this in the most effective way, however, requires taking the time to learn the relevant science and medicine relevant to disabling conditions at issue from the very outset of a case. We cannot stress this often enough in our work with colleagues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">So keep up the good work and best of luck to all!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: navy; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt;">Dan Kohrman | Sr Attorney-Litigation<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;">601 E St NW, Washington, DC, 20049<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 11px;">Office: (202) 434-2064 | Email: <a href="mailto:DKohrman@aarp.org" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: blue;">dkohrman@aarp.org</span></a> | Web: <a href="http://www.aarp.org/" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.aarp.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3819696094571928260.post-2577881180162340332012-02-23T21:03:00.001-05:002012-02-23T21:03:37.362-05:00Sidewalks to Nowhere: The Supreme Court Lets Stand Landmark Texas ADA Case<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Sidewalks to Nowhere:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Supreme Court Lets Stand Landmark
Texas ADA Case<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">David Ferleger & Richard Frame<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The United State Supreme
Court on Monday let stand a landmark <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:31">sidewalk
access </ins></span>decision in favor of Richard Frame and several other
wheelchair users who won a ruling against Arlington, Texas on sidewalk access
under the Americans with Disabilities Act. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The National League of
Cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors had claimed that the challenged
decision </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">will
impose a “crushing burden” on cities nationwide. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The case come to the high
court from the court of appeals which voted 8 to 7 last year that, when a city constructs
a new sidewalk or alters an existing one, the city must take reasonable
measures to ensure that accessibility to individuals with disabilities. </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The landmark ruling rejected
Arlington’s argument that cities across the country may pick and choose when
and where to provide accessible sidewalks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:28">An engineer
in the aerospace and defense industry,</ins></span> lead plaintiff Richard
Frame <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:51">became</ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:50"> </ins></span>quadriplegic
<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:51">after a devastating</ins></span> <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:51">auto</ins></span>
accident twelve years ago. <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:51">His body is paralyzed except </ins></span>for his
head and shoulders,. He controls his power wheelchair with delicate head
movements. Like most of the 3.4 million wheelchair users in the United States, Rick
Frame actively participates in the life of his community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">When he leaves his home, <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:30">h</ins></span>owever, Mr. <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:59">Frame is</ins></span>
<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:59">excluded</ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T15:00"> from his own
community.</ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:59"> </ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T15:00"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></ins></span>When he <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T15:01">takes to</ins></span>
the streets of Arlington, Texas, he finds sidewalks to nowhere. Sidewalks with
a curb cut at one end and no way to leave the sidewalk at the other end.
Utility poles smack in the middle of a sidewalk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:52">When he </ins></span>tried
to go from his doctor’s office to a restaurant across the street<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:52">,
he </ins></span>discovered there was no way to get there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If his attendant parks Mr. Frame’s van in the
municipal parking lot on a game day, he cannot get <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:52">by wheelchair </ins></span>to
the billion dollar Cowboys Stadium, built with $325 million in Arlington city
funds.<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:52"> </ins></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Joined
by other cities and national organizations, the City of Arlington, Texas asked
the nine justices to free Arlington and other cities from any obligation to
remedy <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:54">their failure to make new and </ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:32">altered</ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:54"> </ins></span>sidewalks
accessible to people who use wheelchairs<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:55">, a</ins></span> <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:54">discriminatory
violation of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act</ins></span>. The court refused
to heed their plea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">A
decision in favor of Arlington would have denied access to beneficiaries of
technologies such as the Segway, the two-wheeled self-balancing device which
hundreds of veterans disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan now use to go to work,
walk their dogs and run with their children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">In addition to the law, there
are several <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:33">moral</ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:32">,</ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:33"> public</ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:32"> </ins></span>policy<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:33"> and economic</ins></span> reasons<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T15:01"> </ins></span>why
the Supreme Court should refuse to hear Arlington’s appeal. This form of
discrimination is unfair, expensive and <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:56">harmful to </ins></span>our
national economy<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:56">. I</ins></span>t has <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:56">extremely </ins></span>negative
consequences for people without disabilities as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Excluding a class of people
from the same sidewalks which “walking people” use is simply unfair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a great <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:34">city</ins></span>
like Arlington builds and helps pay for <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:35">monumental </ins></span>stadiums,
that town ought<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:34"> to ensure that </ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:57">all of its residents</ins></span>
can get to those stadiums, as well as to stores, hospitals, downtown
restaurants, and their children’s schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The National League of Cities
protested to the court that<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:57">, </ins></span>“s</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">idewalk improvement programs can cost a
single city hundreds of millions of dollars.” The appeals court disagreed. It
explained that Congress looked at the question quite differently. </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">Congress
found that disability discrimination “costs the United States billions of
dollars in unnecessary expenses resulting from dependency and nonproductivity.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">Our national economy will benefit when cities are
compelled to connect the dots and provide pathways in the community for people
with mobility impairments. The ADA itself states that “the mainstreaming of
persons with disabilities will result in more persons with disabilities
working, in increasing earnings, in less dependence on the Social Security
system for</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">financial
support, in increased spending on consumer goods, and increased tax revenues.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">Discrimination is a “totally unnecessary contributor to
public deficits” and costs literally billions of dollars annually in support
payments and lost income tax revenues,” the Congress concluded.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Cities need to do it right the first time. When it comes to sidewalk
accessibility, </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Schoolbook";">Congress
recognized that the additional cost of making a new sidewalk readily accessible
is “often nonexistent or negligible.” When Arlington chose to build or alter
inaccessible sidewalks after the 1992 ADA effective date, the city wasted
taxpayers’ money and broke the law. </span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Inaccessible sidewalks harm
everyone. Simply put, what works for people with disabilities works for
everyone. We have all used curb ramps where sidewalks meet the street. They are
useful when we are pushing a baby stroller or a shopping cart, lugging a
suitcase, moving furniture, walking with crutches, or helping an elder cross a
street. Bicyclists use curb ramps all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Just as the invention of the
typewriter, Jacuzzi and even email originated as efforts to benefit people with
disabilities, so has the development of curb cuts, first implemented in 1945 in
Kalamazoo, Michigan, as an accommodation for soldiers returning from World War
II. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:36">At</ins></span>
a July 1990 ceremony, President George Herbert Walker Bush declared that with his
“</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">signing
of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, every man, woman, and child
with a disability can now pass through once-closed doors into a bright new era
of equality, independence and freedom." Now, 22 years later, it is past
time for all those who pass through those doors to be able to join one another,
co-workers and their neighbors. <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Dayle%20Friedman" datetime="2012-02-14T14:59"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></ins></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">_______________________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">David Ferleger is an attorney
near Philadelphia, PA and represents the plaintiffs in the litigation in the
Supreme Court. Richard Frame lives in Arlington, TX, is a <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Review/Edits%20Ferleger" datetime="2012-02-14T16:39">retired Registered
Accessibility Specialist, </ins></span>and is one of the plaintiffs before the
Supreme Court.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->David Ferlegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17520840182365098765noreply@blogger.com3