JMBM Announces Publication of The ADA Compliance and Defense Guide Understanding, preventing and defending claims and enforcement actions under the American with Disabilities Act

LOS ANGELES — The Global Hospitality Group® of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM) is pleased to announce publication of The ADA Compliance and Defense Guide, a practical handbook for owners and operators of hotels, restaurants, golf courses, spas and sports facilities, banks and other financial institutions, retail stores, shopping centers, theaters, sports arenas, and other places of “public accommodation,” as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Co-authored by JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® Chairman, Jim Butler, and JMBM’s ADA Compliance and Defense Group Chairman, Martin H. “Marty” Orlick, the Guide reflects the complexities and ever-expanding requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“Property owners and operators in the U.S. have been subjected to more than 20,000 ADA civil lawsuits and DOJ enforcement actions since the ADA was enacted in 1991. Most of those lawsuits were filed in the last 5 years,” said Butler. “We provide practical ADA compliance and defense advice for owners and operators. This book is an example and was written specifically to help owners and operators understand the challenges they face, encourage preventative compliance, and to prepare to defend ADA lawsuits.”

Written in plain language, the Guide includes information on requirements for accessible websites, service animals, pool lifts, auxiliary aids, and the importance of developing company-wide ADA policies and procedures. Through numerous case studies, the Guide addresses Department of Justice investigations and private plaintiff litigation.

“Many business owners and operators are unaware that the ADA applies not only to their brick-and-mortar facilities, but also to cyberaccessibility regarding websites, reservations systems, call centers, and other forms of communication,” said Orlick. “Based on our experience in defending more than 600 ADA lawsuits and counseling some of American’s leading companies on enterprise-wide ADA compliance, we are able to help business owners and operators to comply with the ADA so that they can provide full and equal access to persons with disabilities.”

 

How to get a free copy of the ADA Guide 

To download a copy of The ADA Compliance and Defense Guide go to the Resource Center on HotelLawyer.com.

 

Important topics covered in The ADA Compliance and Defense Guide

The ADA Guide covers four major topics that are critical to every owner, developer, investor, buyer or seller of a place of public accommodation:

 

1.  Overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act

• Tips and traps for ADA compliance

2.  The ADA Litigation and Compliance Landscape

• DOJ sweeps, compliance reviews, investigations and enforcement actions
• Case studies: Starwood Hotels and The Phoenician, three of New York City’s top Zagat-rated restaurants, Hilton’s precedent-setting ADA Consent Decree, FedEx and Cinemark
• How to handle an ADA lawsuit and how not to do it
• California’s Certified Access Specialist program or CASp

3.  ADA Policies, Practices and Procedures

• Service animal issues
• Pool lifts
• When disabled hotel guests’ needs go beyond the norm

4.  Timeshares and Fractionals

5.  Hot Topics on the ADA

 

JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group®
The hotel lawyers in the Global Hospitality Group® of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM) represent hotel owners, developers, investors and lenders and have helped our clients find business and legal solutions for more than $68 billion of hotel transactions, involving more than 1,500 properties worldwide. For more information about the Global Hospitality Group®, go to HotelLawyer.com. To see the other publications in our We Wrote the Book™ series, visit the Resources page.

JMBM’s ADA Compliance and Defense Group
The lawyers in JMBM’s ADA Compliance and Defense Group have helped hundreds of businesses bring their organizations into compliance with the ADA including their properties, websites, call centers, ATMs, retail kiosks, reservation systems, written policies and procedures, and related training. We have defended more than 600 ADA and related accessibility claims, assist companies in responding to ADA investigations undertaken by the U.S. Department of Justice, and advise clients on insurance coverage and possible indemnity claims.

 

Contacts
Jim Butler, 310-201-3526, jbutler@jmbm.com
Marty Orlick, 415-984-9667, morlick@jmbm.com