La-Z-Boy Hit with Disability Discrimination Class Action Lawsuit

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Earlier this week, the furniture retail chain La-Z-Boy was hit with a disability discrimination class action lawsuit after a Los Angeles consumer claimed that many La-Z-Boy stores in the Southern California area were inaccessible to individuals with disabilities.

California resident George Zepeda filed this La-Z-Boy class action lawsuit in federal court after visiting a La-Z-Boy store located Torrance, Calif., which he claims discriminated against him and other similarly mobility-impaired individuals by not requiring that their stores be wheelchair or handicap accessible.

Zepeda’s allegations against the furniture retailer include inaccessible restrooms, lack of handicap parking spaces and accompanying accessibility signs, all problems which the plaintiff claims the company has refused to address or fix, which could constitute a violation of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act and Disabled Persons Act.

During a recent visit to the store this June, Zepeda was purchasing a couple of end tables and a stationary chair. While making these purchases, he claims to have experienced discrimination when he was allegedly denied “full and equal” access to the La-Z-Boy store and its facilities in his wheelchair without assistance from someone else.

Additionally, Zepeda alleges that it was exceptionally difficult to enter the restroom facility as the door required excess force to open  and keep open while operating his wheelchair without assistance. Once inside, Zepeda says he “was deterred from using the facilities because the toilet seat was raised excessively high from the floor making it difficult for him to maneuver  from his wheelchair to the toilet seat, and the mounted locations/heights of the toilet paper dispenser, toilet seat cover dispenser, and soap dispenser made it difficult for him to reach these accessories.”

Zepeda also alleges he could not use the sink to wash his hands because the pipes under the sink were uncovered at the risk of burning his leg on the pipes.

The plaintiff claims to have attempted contacting La-Z-Boy management through a letter to address the accessibility issues in the store and parking lot, but allegedly never received a response regarding his concerns. Zepeda states in his disability discrimination lawsuit that this individual La-Z-Boy store location is not unique in its accessibility issues and that many California La-Z-Boy stores lack disabled and/or van parking and may be liable for various restroom violations.

“As a result of that failure to remedy existing barriers to accessibility, plaintiff and others similarly situated have been denied access to the benefits of the goods, services, programs, facilities and activities of defendant’s stores, and have otherwise been discriminated against and have suffered damages caused by defendant’s accessibility violations,” the La-Z-Boy class action lawsuit says.

In this La-Z-Boy disability discrimination class action lawsuit, Zepeda seeks to represent himself and a Class of mobility-impaired and/or wheelchair bound La-Z-Boy patrons in the state of California, which could potentially consist of thousands of Class Members.

Zepeda is represented by Evan J. Smith of Brodsky & Smith LLC.

The La-Z-Boy Disability Discrimination Class Action Lawsuit is Zepeda, et al. v. La-Z-Boy Inc., Case No. BC557114, in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County.