Torrid class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiff Jessica Karim filed a class action lawsuit against Torrid LLC.
- Why: Karim’s lawsuit claims the Torrid website is not fully accessible to and independently usable by blind and visually impaired customers, in violation of federal and New York state law.
- Where: The Torrid class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court.
Torrid LLC operates a website that is not fully accessible to and independently usable by visually impaired customers, according to a new Torrid class action lawsuit filed March 22 in New York federal court.
Plaintiff Jessica Karim is legally blind and requires screen-reading software to read website content on her computer, the Torrid class action lawsuit says. Karim says she visited the Torrid website intending to make a purchase but was unable to complete the checkout process independently.
Torrid allegedly chose to rely on an exclusively visual interface despite readily available technology such as alternative text, accessible forms, descriptive links and resizable text. As a result, blind individuals require assistance from sighted persons to help them make purchases from the Torrid website, Karim says.
“By failing to make the website accessible to blind persons, defendant is violating basic equal access requirements under both state and federal law,” the Torrid class action lawsuit says.
The federal Americans with Disabilities Act and New York law require places of public accommodation, including websites, to be accessible by those with disabilities, Karim says.
Torrid class action: Website accessibility especially important for blind consumers
The ability to make purchases online is especially important for visually impaired individuals because of their mobility challenges, the Torrid class action lawsuit says. They rely on screen-reading software that vocalizes visual information on websites.
“Except for a blind person whose residual vision is still sufficient to use magnification, screen access software provides the only method by which a blind person can independently access the internet,” Karim says.
To be accessible to visually impaired individuals, the website content must be capable of being rendered into text. Because the Torrid website relies on an exclusively visual interface, blind customers are unable to independently use the website to make purchases in violation of federal and state law, the Torrid class action lawsuit alleges.
Karim seeks a permanent injunction to update the Torrid website to make it accessible to blind and visually impaired consumers. She also seeks compensatory damages on behalf of class members who were allegedly subjected to unlawful discrimination.
The restaurant chain Sweetgreen was also hit with a recent class action lawsuit claiming its website is not fully accessible to and equally usable by blind and visually impaired individuals.
Have you had trouble independently accessing the Torrid website? Tell us about your experience in the comments!
Karim is represented by Gabriel A. Levy of Gabriel A. Levy PC.
The Torrid website class action lawsuit is Jessica Karim v. Torrid LLC, Case No. 1:24-cv-02171, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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