American Eagle Website Denies Access to Visually Impaired, Says ADA Class Action

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American Eagle Website Class Action Lawsuit Overview: 

• Who: A blind woman filed a class action lawsuit against AE Outfitters Retail Co. 
• Why: The plaintiff alleges AE Outfitters’ website is not fully or equally accessible to blind and visually impaired consumers in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act (“UCRA”).
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court. 

The American Eagle website is not fully and equally accessible to and independently usable by blind or visually impaired people, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

Lead plaintiff Vivian Salazar claims AE Outfitters Retail Co denies full and equal access to its website in violation of her and other consumers’ rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act (“UCRA”). 

Salazar is a legally blind, visually impaired, handicapped person and a member of a protected class of individuals under the ADA. She says she requires screen-reading software to read website content using her computer.

The class action lawsuit explains that screen-reading software is currently the only method a blind or visually impaired person may use to independently access the internet.

“In today’s tech-savvy world, blind and visually impaired people have the ability to access websites using keyboards in conjunction with screen access software that vocalizes the visual information found on a computer screen,” the lawsuit states. 

Salazar said during numerous visits to the American Eagle website, she encountered multiple access barriers that denied her full and equal access to the facilities, goods and services offered to the public and made available to the public on the website. The plaintiff and Class Members have been deterred, on a regular basis, from accessing the website.  

Class Action Claims American Eagle Website Violates ADA Guidelines

In 2021, Salazar says she attempted to do business with AE Outfitters but was unable to do so due to the numerous access barriers contained on the website and encountered by the plaintiff. 

“If the website were equally accessible to all, plaintiff and class members could independently navigate the website and complete a desired transaction, as sighted individuals do,” the class action lawsuit states 

Salazar wants a court order forcing AE Outfitters’ to change its corporate policies, practices and procedures so the American Eagle website will become and remain accessible to blind and visually impaired consumers. 

The plaintiff also wants compensatory damages for herself and all Class Members. 

This is not the first class action to target AE Outfitters for accessibility issues. In 2019, a man who uses a wheelchair alleged that physical American Eagle stores are full of barriers including merchandise, displays, equipment, and other items which block or narrow aisle pathways.

A separate class action lawsuit was filed last month against Gold’s Gym California, which also alleged the company’s website violates the ADA by making the site inaccessible to visually impaired people.

Are you a blind or visually impaired consumer who has been unable to access the AE Outfitters website? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Thiago M. Coelho, Binyamin I. Manoucheri, and Jasmine Behroozan, of Wilshire Law Firm. 

The American Eagle Website ADA Class Action Lawsuit is Salazar, et al. v. AE Outfitters Retail Co., Case No. 2:21-at-00938, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

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