Redbox Facing Closed Captioning Lawsuit

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Deaf and hearing-impaired consumers have filed a class action lawsuit against Redbox in California, alleging that Redbox has not lived up to its obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that Redbox has not made reasonable accommodations for consumers with hearing impairments.

Redbox is a company that allows for vending machine-style video rentals. This allows consumers to rent physical DVDs without going to a video store or using a movie streaming service.

The ADA requires companies, schools, and government agencies to make reasonable accommodations for various disabilities. The law serves to ensure that Americans with disabilities can participate in public life. The ADA requires that companies provide such accommodations as wheelchair ramps, allow for trained service animals, as well as closed captions. Closed captions are subtitles that can be turned on and off, to allow the hearing impaired to see what is being said in movies and other visual programming. Captions may also benefit people learning to read English.

The Redbox class action lawsuit alleges that Redbox and some related entities failed to live up to the ADA. Under the ADA, closed captions are considered a reasonable accommodation. However, in the past, there was confusion which stage of the production/distribution process had the responsibility to add closed captions to video entertainment. The Redbox closed captioning lawsuit alleges that Redbox has not made this reasonable accommodation, leaving hearing-impaired customers unable to enjoy their movies.

The Redbox class action lawsuit also alleges that not only did Redbox fail to live up to its obligations under the ADA, but that they actively advertised closed captions when they, in fact, didn’t provide them.

Lawsuits are a major way that the ADA is enforced. Courts have stated that “civil rights depend heavily on private enforcement” with regards to the ADA and other laws designed to protect equal rights for the disabled. Lawsuits alleging ADA violations can often be an avenue for consumers to protect their rights and ensure that the ADA is enforced.

The Redbox class action suit is formally titled Francis Jancik v. Redbox Automated Retail LLC, et al., Case No. 13-cv-01387, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Right now, a class action lawsuit investigation is looking for consumers to join the litigation against Redbox. If you are deaf or hearing impaired, and rented/purchased a Redbox DVD that advertised closed captions when none were to be had, you may be entitled to compensation. You can start to explore your options by visiting the Redbox Movies Closed Captioning Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Here, you can enter information about your situation for a legal review by a trained expert with a background in this type of litigation. The initial consultation is completely free of charge and, from it, you can receive additional guidance on the best steps to take in your exact situation.