ADA v. stadium seating, cont’d

Whoops! It turns out the design of many modern American movie theaters may be illegal, after all. In a big victory for disabled-rights advocates, backed by the U.S. Department of Justice, a Sixth Circuit panel has ruled that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Cinemark Theaters cannot argue that it is enough to offer […]

Whoops! It turns out the design of many modern American movie theaters may be illegal, after all. In a big victory for disabled-rights advocates, backed by the U.S. Department of Justice, a Sixth Circuit panel has ruled that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Cinemark Theaters cannot argue that it is enough to offer wheelchair-using patrons unobstructed views of the screen in its stadium-style theaters; instead they must be offered “comparable”, i.e. comparably desirable views. (opinion, Nov. 6). For our earlier coverage of this controversy, see Apr. 25-26, 2000; Sept. 5, 2002; Jan. 30, 2003. Update Aug. 1, 2004: Supreme Court declines to resolve issue.

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