Starbucks Intentionally Violates the ADA

Starbucks intentionally violates the ADA by arranging merchandise displays such that they encroach on legally required clear space for access. Starbucks has been sued for these violations on many occasions but it remains unapologetic. Starbucks makes a remarkable amount of money from the impulse items it stacks along checkout lines and transaction counters. Starbucks refuses to make company-wide changes. What is more, Starbucks only makes store-by-store changes, if that, when it gets sued.

Federal law requires a lowered transaction counter that is 36 inches wide and clear of obstructions. Starbucks contends this requirement doesn’t apply to them but it does. This requirement is especially important for persons who rely on wheelchairs for mobility. Lowered transaction counters — with enough clear width space – give persons with disabilities the ability to transact business with dignity and without risk or embarrassment that arises when persons with disabilities accidentally knock over items or have to reach over racks that are designed to attract impulse purchases from ambulatory customers.

In California the law is, powerfully, on the side of persons with disabilities. If you successfully prove a violation of the ADA you are automatically entitled to $1,000-$4,000 in penalties. The business violating the ADA is responsible for your attorney fees, so you never have to come out of pocket to pay your attorney. And, most important, you can force the business to comply with the disability access laws so neither you nor anyone else will have to encounter these barriers to access again.