Dick’s Sporting Goods Class Action Claims Website Not Accessible to Blind People

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Dick’s Sporting Goods ADA Class Action Lawsuit Overview:

• Who: A blind New York man is suing Dick’s Sporting Goods.
• Why: The man says the retailer’s website is not accessible to those who are blind or visually impaired, violating the Americans With Disabilities Act.
• Where: The lawsuit seeks to represent a nationwide class.

Dick’s Sporting Goods runs an online hunting merchandise website that is not accessible to those who are blind or have visual impairments, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff Juan Ortega, a legally blind man from New York City, filed the class action lawsuit against Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. Dec. 2 in a New York federal court, alleging violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

Ortega says Dick’s Sporting Goods owns and operates the website fieldandstreamshop.com, offering products delivered throughout the United States.

Ortega says he went on the site to make a purchase, using a screen reader to browse the website, but found that it was inaccessible.

“Screen-reading software is currently the only method a blind or visually impaired person may independently access the internet,” Ortega says. “Unless websites are designed to be read by screen-reading software, blind and visually impaired persons are unable to fully access websites, and the information, products, goods and contained thereon.”

Blind and Visually Impaired Persons Denied Equal Access to Dick’s Sporting Goods Website

Ortega alleges that, due to Dick’s Sporting Goods’ failure to remove access barriers to its website, he and other visually impaired persons have been denied equal access to the website and the numerous goods and services and benefits offered to the public through it.

He said issues included the screen reader skipping over certain text on the page, failing to read the link found on the promotional images and failing to describe images.

Ortega is seeking a permanent injunction to cause a change in the company’s corporate policies, practices and procedures so that its website will become accessible to blind and visually-impaired consumers. He’s also seeking fees, costs, damages and a jury trial.

Ortega is looking to represent all legally blind United States residents who tried to access the hunting gear website and were unable to. 

This is not the first time Dick’s Sporting Goods has been sued under the ADA for its allegedly inaccessible websites. In 2020, a class action lawsuit alleged Dick’s Sporting Goods website failed to allow deaf and hard-of-hearing customers equal access.

What do you think about the allegations in this class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Jonathan P. Rubin of Law Offices of Jonathan P. Rubin.

The Dick’s Sporting Goods ADA Class Action Lawsuit is Ortega et al., v. Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., Case No. 1:21-cv-10285 in the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York. 

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