DOJ Explodes: ADA Lawyers Rake Millions While Blind Get Crumbs, Biden Censorship Scandal Settled, FBI Hacks Russian Cyber Spies

Justice Department Slams Proposed ADA Settlement as ‘Unfair,’ Says Lawyers Get Millions While Blind Consumers Get Little

SAN FRANCISCO – The Justice Department has intervened to oppose a proposed class action settlement against Fashion Nova Inc., arguing that the agreement would provide virtually no meaningful benefit to blind consumers while awarding more than $2.5 million in attorneys’ fees and costs.

In a Statement of Interest filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the department said the proposed settlement fails to ensure the online apparel retailer’s website becomes truly accessible to people with vision disabilities, instead offering only generic, unenforceable language.

“A class action under the ADA should, above all else, secure greater accessibility for consumers with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Congress intended the Department and Courts to be skeptical of settlements that instead enrich private counsel.”

The lawsuit, Alcazar v. Fashion Nova Inc., alleged that the California-based company’s website violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by denying blind users full and equal access to its goods and services.

Under the proposed settlement, Fashion Nova agreed to pay approximately $2.43 million, to be divided evenly among class members in California who timely file valid claims. Meanwhile, plaintiffs’ lawyers seek more than $2.52 million in fees and costs. The settlement also includes injunctive relief that generically requires Fashion Nova’s website to be accessible – but with no confirmation or enforcement mechanism, according to the DOJ.

“The proposed injunctive relief for class members is not meaningful,” the department argued. “It is a mere recitation of the obligation to make visually delivered materials available to individuals who are blind or low vision with no confirmation or enforcement mechanism.”

The Justice Department’s filing comes under the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005, which gives the Attorney General and state officials an opportunity to review federal class action settlements before courts grant final approval