The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was meant to increase access for disabled people but a few unscrupulous personal-injury lawyers and professional plaintiffs have made fortunes by targeting businesses for shakedown lawsuits.

Often, these lawsuits are filed when access has not being deterred in any way. These lawsuits don’t ask for any accessibility improvements to be made, they ask for money to make the lawsuit go away. Small businesses are often the target of these shakedowns suits and many quickly settle because of the exorbitant costs of fighting a lawsuit.

California needs to reform ADA law so that small-business owners can simply make their properties more accessible to valued customers.

Until the small business community demands reforms from the state Legislature, shakedowns will simply be the cost of doing business in a state that is not business friendly.

Marko Mlikotin, Northern California Regional Director

Californians Against Lawsuit Abuse,

Sacramento.