By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®
04 February, 2015
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New Resource: The ADA Compliance and Defense Guide
The Global Hospitality Group® of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM) is pleased to announce the latest publication in our We Wrote the Book™ series : 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 ADA. For a limited time, it is available for free download at www.HotelLawyer.com as described below.
About The ADA Compliance and Defense Guide, Understanding, preventing and defending claims and enforcement actions under the ADA
It will not surprise U.S. hotel owners and operators to learn that that business 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 – and most of those lawsuits were filed in the last 5 years. JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® provides 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 also addresses Department of Justice investigations and private plaintiff litigation.
It is surprising how many commercial property 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. The ADA Compliance and Defense Guide, covers these issues, and more.
My partner and co-author, Marty Orlick, has defended more than 600 ADA lawsuits and counsels some of American’s leading companies on enterprise-wide ADA compliance. Marty and his team assist business owners and operators in complying with the ADA so that they can provide full and equal access to persons with disabilities. We hope this Guide will help.
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
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.
If you would like to discuss any of the issues presented in the Guide, please contact us:
Jim Butler
Chairman, Global Hospitality Group®
(310) 201-3526
Marty Orlick
Chairman, ADA Defense Team
(415) 984-9667
Other ADA defense and compliance resources
You can access the full library of ADA materials on Hotel Law Blog by going to the home page, selecting the tab at the top that says “HOTEL LAW TOPICS”, and then clicking on “ADA Defense & Compliance” in the drop down menu . . . or by clicking here.
Below is a partial listing of articles by JMBM’s ADA Defense Lawyer team:
The ADA Compliance and Defense Guide — Free Download
ADA Defense Lawyer: New ADA standards for website accessibility
DOJ sues 3 of NYC’s top Zagat-rated restaurants for ADA violations
ADA compliance and defense lawyer alert: Charles Schwab settles claim over website accessibility
A blast against frivolous, serial ADA lawsuits in striking the right balance
GlobeSt.com interviews JMBM’s ADA Compliance and Defense Lawyers
New ADA compliance standards for golf courses. What do they mean to you?
Updating Service Animal Policies of Your Hotel or Other “Place of Lodging”
How to handle an ADA lawsuit . . . and How not to do it
How a recent ADA case affects all hotels but particularly conference centers and meeting hotels
Defending ADA lawsuits. How your hotel website can make you a target for ADA lawsuits
This is Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com and hotel lawyer, signing off. We’ve done more than $68 billion of hotel transactions and have developed innovative solutions to unlock value from hotels. Who’s your hotel lawyer?
