Stanley Steemer class action claims website inaccessible to blind, visually impaired visitors

Stanley Steemer website class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Frangie Espinal filed a class action lawsuit against Stanley Steemer International Inc. 
• Why: Espinal claims Stanley Steemer failed to make its website fully accessible to and independently usable by individuals who are blind or visually impaired. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court. 

Stanley Steemer failed to design its website in a way that would make it fully accessible to and independently usable by individuals who are blind or visually impaired, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Frangie Espinal claims Stanley Steemer failed to make its website compatible with screen reading software used by individuals who are blind or visually impaired to access the internet. 

Espinal, a blind woman, argues Stanley Steemer is ultimately denying full and equal access to its website to individuals who are blind or visually impaired — and therefore denial of products and services offered — in an alleged violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 

“Because Defendant’s interactive website, www.stanleysteemer.com, including all portions thereof or accessed thereon … is not equally accessible to blind and visually-impaired consumers, it violates the ADA,” the Stanley Steemer class action states. 

Espinal wants to represent a nationwide class and subclasses of New York State and New York City consumers who are legally blind and who were denied access to the equal enjoyment of goods and services on Stanley Steemer’s website when they attempted to access it. 

Stanley Steemer website contains broken links and a lack of alt text, says class action 

Espinal argues they encountered multiple access barriers to their screen-reading software when they visited Stanley Steemer’s website, including a lack of alt text, redundant and broken links, and empty links containing no text, among other things. 

“These access barriers on Defendant’s Website have deterred Plaintiff from visiting Defendant’s Website and enjoying it equal to sighted individuals,” the Stanley Steemer class action states. 

In addition to allegedly violating the ADA, Espinal claims Stanley Steemer is in violation of New York State Human Rights Law and New York City Human Rights Law. 

The plaintiff is demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory and injunctive relief along with an award of compensatory, statutory, and punitive damages for herself and all class members. 

A separate class action lawsuit was filed against Stanley Steemer in 2018 over claims it failed to pay proper overtime wages to employees who worked more than 40 hours a  week. 

Have you been denied equal access to goods and services offered on Stanley Steemer’s website.  ? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Dana L. Gottlieb, Michael A. LaBollita, and Jeffrey M. Gottlieb of Gottlieb & Associates. 

The Stanley Steemer website class action lawsuit is Espinal, et al. v. Stanley Steemer International, Inc., Case No. 1:23-cv-08578, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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