ADA Advocacy Group Asks Court To Void Arizona Attorney General's Intervention

By Will Stone
Published: Tuesday, September 20, 2016 - 4:31pm
Updated: Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 12:55pm
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(Photo by Mariana Dale-KJZZ)
An accessible parking space.

A Phoenix-area advocacy group has asked a court of appeals to reconsider the Arizona attorney general’s intervention in the 1,700 lawsuits that have been filed against Valley businesses for allegedly violating the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Attorney General Mark Brnovich would ultimately like the court to dismiss the lawsuits brought by the nonprofit Advocates for Individuals with Disabilities (AID). Meanwhile, the group’s lawyers have asked the judge overseeing the case to place a stay, while the court considers a special action that would void everything that has happened in the case since Aug. 25.

Brnovich argues AID is engaging in serial litigation that’s abusing the judicial system.

“What we believe we see is [AID] using the disabilities act in a systematic way to enrich themselves,” Brnovich said.

AID has said all settlement money helps fund wheelchairs and other gifts for people with disabilities, and that Brnovich is essentially "siding with the law-breakers."

Court documents show AID continued to seek settlements of more than $3,000 even after the attorney general stepped in.

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