Los Angeles ADA Defense Lawyer

Are you looking for an ADA defense lawyer in Los Angeles, CA?

At DPA Attorneys at Law, we are trusted ADA defense lawyers with over 10 years of experience.

If your business has been served with an accessibility complaint or a demand letter in Los Angeles, the response is a legal question before it is a construction question. Our Los Angeles, CA ADA defense lawyer can examine the plaintiff’s standing, evaluate the barriers alleged, and decide whether the claim should be fought or resolved.

DPA Attorneys at Law defends hotels, restaurants, retailers, and entertainment venues against disability access claims in California. Contact us to discuss the complaint or letter your business received.

ADA Defense Lawyer Los Angeles, CA

An ADA claim alleges that a business open to the public denied a person with a disability equal access to its goods, services, or facilities. Physical claims describe barriers at the property: parking, entrances, counters, restrooms, or paths of travel. Digital claims describe a website or reservation system the plaintiff says could not be used with assistive technology. Federal claims seek injunctive relief and fees, while the parallel state claim carries the monetary exposure.

Accessibility suits are filed in federal court, and the Central District of California covers seven counties with a combined population of nearly 20 million, the largest of any federal judicial district in the country. Los Angeles businesses sit at the center of that district and see repeat filings from the same plaintiffs and the same firms. A Los Angeles ADA defense attorney reads each new complaint against that filing history.

Types of ADA Defense Cases We Handle in Los Angeles

Our Los Angeles ADA defense attorneys represent businesses named in accessibility claims, not the individuals bringing them. The categories below cover the claims we see most often.

• Architectural barrier claims. Allegations involve parking stalls, ramps, door hardware, counter heights, restrooms, and routes through the space. We compare the allegations with the property’s actual measurements and construction history.
• Website accessibility claims. A plaintiff alleges that screen reader software could not navigate the site or complete a booking. We evaluate what the site does, when it was audited, and what remediation is underway.
• Hotel reservation policy claims. These allege that a property’s site, its brand site, or a booking platform failed to describe accessible features in enough detail. Room descriptions, brand templates, and third-party listings are all reviewed.
• Hotel class action defense. Accessibility allegations against lodging brands are sometimes pleaded on behalf of a group rather than a single guest. We address the proposed class definition and the differences among the properties named.
• Serial plaintiff filings. One plaintiff may file dozens of nearly identical complaints in a single year. That pattern is itself evidence, and it supports a standing challenge.
• Service animal and policy disputes. Claims arise from how staff responded to an animal, a request, or a stated need. Written policy and employee training records shape the defense.
• Demand letters before suit. Many claims begin with a letter proposing a settlement figure. We evaluate the alleged barriers before any payment is discussed.
• Employee accommodation claims. Disability claims brought by staff rather than customers require a separate analysis of the interactive process and the records behind it.

Why Choose DPA Attorneys at Law as My ADA Defense Lawyer in Los Angeles, CA?

A Dismissal Won on Standing in a Federal ADA Case

Our firm defended a hotel against a website claim brought by the plaintiff firm Potter Handy. The court found the plaintiff had not established an actual intent to stay at the property, and the case was dismissed. The plaintiff had filed dozens of nearly identical suits describing travel to each hotel in the same month. That result shapes how our ADA defense lawyers in Los Angeles evaluate every serial filing that arrives.

Founders Who Operate Hospitality Properties Themselves

Darshan Patel founded DPA Attorneys at Law after owning and managing independent and franchised hotels, multifamily properties, and other real estate investments. He earned his law degree from the University of San Diego and a finance degree from UC Riverside, and he joined the California Bar in 2016. The American Institute of Legal Professionals named him a Lawyer of the Year in 2020.

Pooja Mehta brings more than 20 years of hospitality experience to the firm. She holds a hospitality management degree from San Diego State University and a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law, and she teaches Hospitality Law at SDSU. She also holds Lawyers of Distinction recognition.

What Is Important To Understand About ADA Defense Cases?

Standing, Barriers, and Remedies in Accessibility Claims

Four questions decide most accessibility cases, and a Los Angeles ADA defense attorney answers them in roughly this order.

• Standing: whether the plaintiff actually encountered the barrier and faces a real threat of encountering it again
• Coverage: whether the business is a place of public accommodation and which standards applied when the element was built or altered
• Barrier: whether the condition alleged departs from the applicable standard, and whether the plaintiff’s disability relates to it
• Remedy: federal claims produce injunctive relief and attorney’s fees, while the state claim attached to them carries statutory monetary exposure
• Readiness: whether removal of the barrier is readily achievable, or whether an equivalent alternative already exists

What Should You Bring to Your ADA Defense Consultation?

Most of what decides an accessibility case already exists in the property’s own files.

• The complaint, summons, or demand letter, with any proof of service
• Building plans, permits, and records of any alteration or remodel
• Any CASp inspection report and the certificate issued with it
• Photographs and measurements of the elements identified in the complaint
• Website audit results, remediation records, and vendor agreements
• Written policies on accommodation requests and service animals
• The commercial general liability policy and any tender correspondence

What Are Important Aspects of an ADA Defense Case?

An accessibility claim has a filing deadline like any other injury claim. An action for injury caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another must be brought within two years under section 335.1 of the Code of Civil Procedure, and the date a plaintiff says he encountered the barrier controls that calculation.

Standing carries more weight in these cases than in most. A plaintiff who files identical complaints against dozens of businesses invites scrutiny of whether the visit and the intent to return were real, and that question can end a case before the condition of the property is ever examined.

Remediation cuts both ways. Correcting a barrier can moot the federal claim, but the correction should be documented and completed by someone qualified, because partial work creates a second dispute. For a website, that means an audit against recognized accessibility guidelines and a record of what changed and when. For a hotel, it also means confirming that accessible room descriptions appear on the brand site and on every booking platform, not only on the property’s own page.

What Is The ADA Defense Case Timeline?

Accessibility cases move faster than most commercial litigation, and many end before discovery. An ADA defense lawyer in Los Angeles, CA works to the response deadline first.

• A demand letter or complaint arrives, and the response deadline is calculated
• The property and its records are inspected, often with a certified access specialist
• An answer or a motion challenging standing is filed
• Remediation begins where a barrier is confirmed
• Early settlement discussions or a joint inspection follow
• Motion practice, mediation, or trial for the claims that remain

Los Angeles Courts and Accessibility Resources

Federal accessibility suits against Los Angeles businesses are heard in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, which sits in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Riverside. California businesses may have their properties inspected by a certified access specialist through the Division of the State Architect, and an inspection by one of those specialists carries procedural benefits for a defendant. The Commission on Disability Access publishes resources for business owners facing construction-related accessibility claims.

Reach Out to DPA Attorneys at Law to Schedule a Consultation

DPA Attorneys at Law offers free consultations to businesses facing accessibility claims. Our Los Angeles ADA defense lawyer will review the complaint or demand, evaluate the plaintiff’s standing and filing history, and explain what remediation would accomplish. Contact us to schedule a case review.