The Supreme Court denied a petition from pizza giant Domino’s on Monday to hear whether its website is required to be accessible to the disabled, resulting in a loss for the company. The case was originally brought by a blind man named Guillermo Robles, who sued the pizza chain after he was unable to order food on Domino’s website and mobile app despite using screen-reading software.
Attorneys for Robles argued in court papers that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires businesses with physical locations to make their websites and other online platforms accessible to those with disabilities.The case is known as Domino’s Pizza v. Guillermo Robles, No. 18-1539.
After Robles was successful before the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Domino’s urged the Supreme Court to take up the case. The court’s decision on Monday will leave the Ninth Circuit’s decision in place.
Attorneys for Domino’s, backed by a range of business groups, argued that the ADA does not apply to online platforms that were not envisioned when the law was passed in 1990. And, they say, no clear rules exist for how to make their platforms properly accessible.
The lawsuit is one of an increasing number filed over website accessibility in recent years. Last year, more than 2,200 such suits were filed in federal courts, according to the accessible technology firm UsableNet, nearly tripling the number a year before.
Source: CNBC
