<html><head></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:lucida console, sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16562"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16567">If I was in charge, an ADA issue would start like a "fix-it" ticket for your car. Yes your tail light is burned out and yes that is against the law, but if you get it fixed in a reasonable time, the fine is negligible. <br></span></div><div dir="ltr"><br><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16567"></span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16901" dir="ltr"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16567"><br></span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16768" dir="ltr"><br><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16567"></span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16769" dir="ltr"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16567"><br></span></div><div class="qtdSeparateBR"><br><br></div><div style="display: block;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16686" class="yahoo_quoted"> <div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16685" style="font-family: lucida console, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> <div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16684" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16683" dir="ltr"> <font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16682" face="Arial" size="2"> <hr id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16689" size="1"> <b><span style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com><br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> conspire@linuxmafia.com <br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Monday, March 20, 2017 11:19 PM<br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [conspire] Contact DOJ and tell them to blow it out their ass<br> </font> </div> <div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16719" class="y_msg_container"><br>Quoting Paul Zander (<a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16866" shape="rect" ymailto="mailto:paulz@ieee.org" href="mailto:paulz@ieee.org">paulz@ieee.org</a>):<br clear="none"><br clear="none">> Unfortunately, instead of constructive discussions too many people<br clear="none">> shouting and no one is listening. I am reminded of a lawyer in SF who<br clear="none">> was going to small restaurants and businesses. If he found a restroom<br clear="none">> sign that wasn’t in the proper size and type font, he would file a<br clear="none">> lawsuit. He justified his actions on wanting to make the world better<br clear="none">> under ADA. He also got paid thousands for each suit. <br clear="none"><br clear="none">This also happened in 2015 just downhill from my house, at the Dutch Goose.<br clear="none"><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16803" shape="rect" href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/07/08/dutch-goose-reopens-after-forced-upgrades/" target="_blank">http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/07/08/dutch-goose-reopens-after-forced-upgrades/</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">Dutch Goose reopens after forced upgrades<br clear="none">By KEVIN KELLY | <a shape="rect" ymailto="mailto:kkelly@bayareanewsgroup.com" href="mailto:kkelly@bayareanewsgroup.com">kkelly@bayareanewsgroup.com</a> |<br clear="none">July 8, 2015 at 3:28 pm<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> The owner of a popular, iconic Menlo Park restaurant is crediting his<br clear="none"> landlord with the eatery’s survival in the wake of a costly lawsuit.<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> Dutch Goose was sued in July 2013 for violating the Americans with<br clear="none"> Disabilities Act. The suit ultimately cost the restaurant $2 million,<br clear="none"> much of that amount for a series of ADA upgrades as well as a $64,000<br clear="none"> settlement payment to the plaintiff last year, according to Dutch Goose<br clear="none"> owner Greg Stern. The 3567 Alameda de las Pulgas location is owned by<br clear="none"> the Beltramo family.<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> “Insurance doesn’t cover any of this,” Stern told The Daily News on July<br clear="none"> 2.<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> He credits John Beltramo for pitching in for the upgrades.<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> “I couldn’t pull off the improvements alone. … We would have had to shut<br clear="none"> the doors, for sure,” Stern said. “I’m just fortunate enough that our<br clear="none"> landlord wanted to see the Goose continue.”<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> Dutch Goose closed for repairs April 19 and reopened May 22. The<br clear="none"> restaurant added ADA-accessible parking stalls and ramps, an<br clear="none"> ADA-compliant bathroom, wheelchair-accessible seating, an elevator, and<br clear="none"> a bar that complies with ADA height requirements.<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> In his lawsuit, San Jose resident Gerardo Hernandez, a paraplegic,<br clear="none"> alleged that on May 15, 2013, he parked in one of two designated<br clear="none"> handicapped parking spaces in front of the restaurant, which he stated<br clear="none"> were “dangerously configured and constructed,” so that he was only able<br clear="none"> to exit his vehicle with the assistance of others. Hernandez further<br clear="none"> alleged that the path to the front entrance was “inaccessibly narrow<br clear="none"> with a dangerous drop off to the side,” there was no seating accessible<br clear="none"> to his wheelchair, and he was unable to use the men’s restroom.<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> Stern countered that the restaurant complied with county codes when he<br clear="none"> was hit with the lawsuit, but that didn’t protect the business.<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> “We just assumed because we went through the permit process with them<br clear="none"> (that) we thought we were doing everything by the book,” Stern said.<br clear="none"> “When we built the deckline (bar) outside … you have to allot 50 percent<br clear="none"> of the building costs to the ADA, which we did, but it’s an older<br clear="none"> building. You just can’t get them all (and) the county, quite frankly,<br clear="none"> is not well versed in ADA.”<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> He warns other business owners in the area who might be susceptible to<br clear="none"> ADA lawsuits to “arm yourself with information.”<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> “You really need to have a professional to evaluate the rules … because<br clear="none"> (they) are always changing,” Stern said. “I would start by getting a<br clear="none"> cast inspection.”<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> Dutch Goose is one of at least seven businesses in the Bay Area sued by<br clear="none"> Hernandez for alleged ADA violations since 2012.<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> Lawsuits over disability access have a storied history in California. In<br clear="none"> 2012, for instance, a West Sacramento resident was accused of filing<br clear="none"> more than 1,000 ADA-related claims against small businesses and local<br clear="none"> governments. In April, Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, R-Modesto,<br clear="none"> introduced legislation aimed at helping state businesses comply with<br clear="none"> disability access laws and prevent “shake-down, predatory ADA lawsuits.”<br clear="none"><br clear="none"> “(An) attorney said … these guys go on Google Earth and look for whether<br clear="none"> there’s ramps out front,” Stern said.<br clear="none"> [...]<br clear="none"><br clear="none">Hernandez got $64,000 as part of the settlement.<br clear="none">http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%2020140514908/HERNANDEZ%20v.%20DUTCH%20GOOSE,%20INC.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">2014 Hernandez ADA suit against Canada College:<br clear="none"><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16724" shape="rect" href="https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/6501121/Hernandez_v_San_Mateo_County_Community_College_District_Canada_College" target="_blank">https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/6501121/Hernandez_v_San_Mateo_County_Community_College_District_Canada_College</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">2016 Hernandez ADA suit against Tapioca Express:<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/19291135/Geraldo_Hernandez_v_Tapioca_Express,_Inc,_NO_VN,_INC_dba_Tapioca_Express_8,_et_al" target="_blank">https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/19291135/Geraldo_Hernandez_v_Tapioca_Express,_Inc,_NO_VN,_INC_dba_Tapioca_Express_8,_et_al</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">2015 Hernandez ADA suit against Canyon Inn:<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%2020150709A85/HERNANDEZ%20v.%20CANYON%20INN" target="_blank">http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%2020150709A85/HERNANDEZ%20v.%20CANYON%20INN</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">2012 Hernandez ADA suit against Final Score Sports Bar:<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="https://casetext.com/case/hernandez-v-final-score-sports-bar-5" target="_blank">https://casetext.com/case/hernandez-v-final-score-sports-bar-5</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">2014 Hernandez ADA suit against Round Table Pizza:<br clear="none"><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16727" shape="rect" href="https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/5:2014cv05067/282275" target="_blank">https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/5:2014cv05067/282275</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">2014 Hernandez ADA suit against Taqueria El Grullense:<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca9/14-16069" target="_blank">https://dockets.justia.com/docket/circuit-courts/ca9/14-16069</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">2013 Hernandez ADA suit against Ross Stores:<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/5:2013cv05956/273153" target="_blank">https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/5:2013cv05956/273153</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">2013 Hernandez ADA suit against American Dairy Queen Corporation:<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/3:2013cv02445/266703" target="_blank">https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/3:2013cv02445/266703</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">2012 Hernandez ADA suit against Dehoff Enterprises, Inc:<br clear="none"><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16729" shape="rect" href="https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/3:2012cv01467/252922" target="_blank">https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/candce/3:2012cv01467/252922</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none">Court records show that Hernandez got settlement payoffs ranging from<br clear="none">$10,000 to $53,000 in his various suits, according to local paper _The<br clear="none">Almanac_:<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="http://www.almanacnews.com/print/story/2015/03/04/dutch-goose-racing-to-finish-ada-improvements" target="_blank">http://www.almanacnews.com/print/story/2015/03/04/dutch-goose-racing-to-finish-ada-improvements</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none">Another gentleman, Scott Johnson of Carmichael, owner of Disabled Access<br clear="none">Prevents Injury, Inc., is said to have filed _thousands_ of ADA lawsuits<br clear="none">across Northern California and reaped millions of dollars in settlement<br clear="none">fees and attorney fees:<br clear="none"><a id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1490148337781_16754" shape="rect" href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/04/10/serial-ada-lawsuit-filer-striking-bay-area/" target="_blank">http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/04/10/serial-ada-lawsuit-filer-striking-bay-area/</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">There are efforts to ameliorate this situation with legal reforms,<br clear="none">usually by permitting businesses a 90- or 120-day grace period to fix <br clear="none">alleged problems before civil litigation can be filed:<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="http://www.modbee.com/news/article139543763.html" target="_blank">http://www.modbee.com/news/article139543763.html</a><br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20160425/its-time-for-california-to-curb-enthusiasm-for-ada-lawsuit-abuse" target="_blank">http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20160425/its-time-for-california-to-curb-enthusiasm-for-ada-lawsuit-abuse</a><br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="http://norcalrecord.com/stories/510739270-california-is-ground-zero-for-ada-lawsuit-abuse" target="_blank">http://norcalrecord.com/stories/510739270-california-is-ground-zero-for-ada-lawsuit-abuse</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none">> Closed captioning. Virtually all broadcast TV has closed captioning.<br clear="none">> How difficult /expensive would it be to add CC to the lectures?<br clear="none">> Admittedly CC sometimes is pretty bad with uncommon words. Prof. Smith<br clear="none">> has beenteaching math for some years by working out examples on the<br clear="none">> whiteboard. Now there a blind student enrolls. How is that supposed<br clear="none">> to work?<br clear="none"><br clear="none">Part of the point about the recent DoJ enforcement letter to University<br clear="none">of California is that it concerned a set of tens of thousands of<br clear="none">instructional videos that are _not_ used in educational curricula, but<br clear="none">instead were hosted online for public benefit.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">Here's how my acquaintance Beth (who works for the Minnesota library<br clear="none">system) put it, on the Skeptic mailing list:<br clear="none"><br clear="none">---<snip>---<br clear="none"><br clear="none">It's not just these lectures, it's bigger than that. It's everything <br clear="none">that every institution wants to digitize in order to make it available <br clear="none">to the public. Thing is, that's the essential first step. It's not <br clear="none">perfect, but those items are one hell of a lot more accessible than <br clear="none">they were before they were digitized. Yes, we want to make them fully <br clear="none">accessible to everyone. But if we're no longer allowed to digitize <br clear="none">now, caption (hopefully) later, then a lot fewer things are going to <br clear="none">get digitized. The funding only goes so far.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">I spent part of last week at a conference, attending sessions mainly <br clear="none">on digitizing. The accessibility issue came up over and over again. We <br clear="none">all want that. We don't just want to digitize audio recordings, we <br clear="none">want to create transcripts, too. We don't just want to put up videos, <br clear="none">we want them captioned, too. But there's only so much money.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">Obviously, when it's an educational requirement, accessibility becomes <br clear="none">a priority. But when it comes to content that is not required for <br clear="none">classwork, but freely provided for the benefit of all, it seems a bit <br clear="none">hard to be penalized for not spending still more money to make it <br clear="none">wholly accessible to everyone for no charge.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">---<snip>---<div class="yqt0194118058" id="yqtfd40586"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none">_______________________________________________<br clear="none">conspire mailing list<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" ymailto="mailto:conspire@linuxmafia.com" href="mailto:conspire@linuxmafia.com">conspire@linuxmafia.com</a><br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="http://linuxmafia.com/mailman/listinfo/conspire" target="_blank">http://linuxmafia.com/mailman/listinfo/conspire</a><br clear="none"></div><br><br></div> </div> </div> </div></div></body></html>