Two cases decided only last week illustrate what a defendant must do if it is determined to win an ADA lawsuit. In one case the defendant failed, and in the other the defendant succeeded. Both cases were ATM cases filed by the same law firm, and it is safe to assume that the work on behalf of the plaintiffs was of equal quality in both cases. The difference was the defense.
In the first case, Sawczyn v. BMO Harris Bank Nat. Ass’n, 2014 WL 1089790 (D. Minn. 2014), the defendant argued that the case was moot because non-functioning audio jacks in two ATMs had been replaced. The defendant did not address other alleged failures to comply with the ADA requirements for ATMs, and could only state with respect to its overall compliance that it was “unaware” of any other problems. There was no evidence that all the ATMs were compliant before the lawsuit was filed, and no evidence of a comprehensive policy for testing to make sure the ATMs remained compliant. The court was not impressed, and denied the defendant’s Motion to Dismiss. More