Predatory litigants - bad for business - bad for communities

Arctic Circle closes due to ADA lawsuit

Eureka's Arctic Circle franchise has closed its doors after the restaurant was sued for noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Jack Williams, who has owned the franchise with his wife, Peggy, since 1989, said the couple decided to close the business Tuesday because they can not afford the renovations required by the lawsuit.

According to an Arctic Circle spokesperson, the suit was filed by local attorney Jason K. Singleton, who has filed similar suits in recent years against a number of local establishments, including Village Pantry, Broadway Cinema, the Eureka Chamber of Commerce and several others.

The Eureka restaurant had been in business since 1967. Arctic Circle reportedly settled the suit out of court.

You remember Jason Singleton? Access and Dollars (3/01) "The stuff that Singleton brought forth was so minute," said Johnson. "One thing was a grab bar that was 1/8th of an inch too low. Another was the location of a light that blinks when the fire alarm is going off in case a person is deaf. I think it was supposed to be something like 48 inches from the floor, and it was 52.

"Then there was a problem with the table lamp," Johnson said. "The knob that you turn it on with was supposed to be 5/8ths of an inch in circumference for people who have arthritis and such, and it was only 3/8th of an inch."

Back then, ...at first the defendants tended to be deep-pocket corporate chain stores, restaurants and motels, including those operated by franchisees. Among the known past lawsuit targets are Gottschalk's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Marie Callender's, Days Inn and the former Thunderbird Inn (Best Western) -- all in Eureka. More recently defendants have included government agencies; there are pending lawsuits against the county, College of the Redwoods and the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District. And at least one non-profit is on the list, the Eureka Chamber of Commerce.

But the lawsuits against locally owned, private businesses with no deep pockets -- including at least one mom-and-pop operation -- are what has the business community quaking in its boots. No one is immune. Defendants with pending or recently settled ADA action include the Broadway Cinema, Café Marina, Mad River Community Hospital -- and the tiny Café Waterfront in Old Town Eureka.... read the rest...

Interesting lInk provided by an anon on the TS story - adaabuse.com/singleton Singleton gets his own page. If you have knowledge of the abuse of an ADA claim or lawsuit, or unethical, unlawful, inappropriate or unfair business practices by an attorney or claimant... contact these guys - ADAaccountability and Citizens Against Predatory Lawsuits. Whenever possible, please provide the case number and court in which a lawsuit was filed. You can fax information toll free to (888) 453-1262.

According to this site, adacrisis.com - Singleton - With 97 ADA Lawsuits filed, his total demands were over $13 Million. There are now 241 filed actions. Unclear when this was last updated.