Judge Certifies Angel Stadium Class Action Lawsuit

Judge Certifies Angel Stadium Class Action Lawsuit

By Sarah Pierce

Wheelchair users will hopefully have an easier time attending baseball games at Angel Stadium thanks to a recent Federal Court ruling granting class certification to a lawsuit seeking better wheelchair access to the ballpark’s Club Level.

Wheelchair-bound Angels fan J. Paul Charlebois filed the class action lawsuit against Angels Baseball, LP and the City of Anaheim after he was denied access to his seat in the stadium’s premiere Club Level because there were no more available wheelchair accessible seats. The Angel Club Level, which is the only section that includes amenities such as in-seat food and beverage service, consists of thousands of seats and luxury boxes, yet only has two wheelchair accessible seats on the entire level.

United States District Judge David O. Carter certified the Angels Baseball class action lawsuit, which is alleging Angel Stadium fails to provide basic accommodations to disabled persons in its premier Club Level. The lawsuit is seeking injunctive relief only and no personal damages for Mr. Charlebois.  

Judge Carter found that Charlebois met the requirement of showing there were a sufficient number of wheelchair users attending games at Angel Stadium to justify certifying the class of wheelchair users, saying, “Baseball is often referenced as America’s favorite past-time, and given that Plaintiff’s class includes future attendees, it is reasonable to presume that many wheelchair-using baseball fans will emerge as future class members.”

The case is Charlebois v. Angels Baseball and City of Anaheim, et al., Case No. SACV 10-0853 DOC (ANx), United States District Court, Central District of California.