Congressman Dan Lungren (R-Gold River) gave the following statement in response to the news in the Sacramento Bee that an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuit played a role in another business, Ford's Real Burgers, closing its doors.
"The news of another ADA lawsuit being the final straw in the closing of a local business should raise concern in the community. When our region is bleeding jobs and unemployment is still hovering around 10 percent or higher, our number one priority should be to do all we can collectively to retain and create jobs in our area. Several months ago I introduced the "ACCESS (ADA Compliance for Customer Entry to Stores and Services) Act of 2011. This bill will help area businesses address any compliance issues they may have during federal court ADA lawsuits similar to the one that drove Ford's Real Burgers to close its doors.
"The Americans with Disabilities Act is a landmark civil rights statute. It is time to end the abuse of the ADA by a small number of plaintiff's attorneys and return it to its rightful purpose of protecting the interests of injured parties and providing access to public accommodations by all Americans."