Paula Deen class action alleges website not fully accessible to deaf, hard-of-hearing customers

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Paula Deen website class action overview: 

• Who: A legally deaf New York is suing restaurant operator Paula Deen Ventures. 
• Why: The plaintiff says the company’s websites are inaccessible to those who require closed captioning to watch video content.
• Where: The Paula Deen website class action was filed in a New York federal court.

A legally deaf New Yorker is suing Paula Deen Ventures — the owner and operator of multiple restaurants around the country — alleging the company does not provide equal access to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals on its websites, in violation of the law.

Plaintiff Denette J. Ligon filed the class action complaint against Paula Deen Ventures LLC Oct. 26 in a New York federal court, alleging violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

According to the lawsuit, Paula Deen has chosen to post videos on its website, pauladeen.com without closed captioning, or with limited closed captioning, that are inaccessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. 

“Without closed captioning, deaf and hard-of-hearing people cannot comprehend the audio portion of the videos on the Website,” the lawsuit states.

Paula Deen’s lack of closed captioning violates civil rights laws, plaintiff alleges

Ligon says in the complaint that she loves southern cooking and was interested in learning about the chef Paula Deen and learning about her Southern style of cooking.

Despite visiting the Paula Deen website on numerous occasions to watch videos from Paula Deen’s television shows, she was unable to fully enjoy the content because of the lack of closed captioning, she says.

“Deaf and hard-of-hearing people watch videos just as aurally capable people do,” Ligon states. 

“The lack of closed captioning means that deaf and hard-of-hearing people are excluded from the rapidly expanding Internet media industry and from independently accessing videos posted on the Website.”

Ligon is looking to represent any legally deaf person in the United States who tried to access the Paul Deen websites, plus a New York subclass. 

She is suing under the ADA and New York civil rights laws, and seeking an injunction forcing Paula Deen to make its websites accessible, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

Sirius XM is also facing a recent ADA class action lawsuit; the company allegedly violates the law by not making its website accessible to legally blind people using a screen reader.

What do you think of the allegations against Paula Deen in this class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments. 

The plaintiff is represented by Dan Shaked of Shaked Law Group. 

The Paula Deen ADA class action lawsuit is Denette J. Ligon v. Paula Deen Ventures, Case No. 1:22-cv-09179, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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