DWAIN LAMMEY v. JNZ HOSPITALITY, LLC, a California Limited Liability Company
Case 2:21-cv-00857-WBS-DMC
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
September 24, 2021
EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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DWAIN LAMMEY, Plaintiff, v. JNZ HOSPITALITY, LLC, a California Limited Liability Company, Defendant.
No. 2:21-cv-00857 WBS DMC
ORDER RE: MOTION TO DISMISS
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Plaintiff Dwain Lammey (“plaintiff“) has brought this action against JNZ Hospitality, LLC (“defendant“) seeking injunctive relief and damages for violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA“),
I. Factual Background
Plaintiff is a California resident with physical disabilities who is substantially limited in his ability to walk. (Compl. at ¶ 1 (Docket No. 1).) He is quadriplegic and uses a wheelchair for mobility. (Id.) Defendant JNZ Hospitality, LLC owns and operates the Motel 6 Chico located at 665 Manzanita Court in Chico, California. (Id. at ¶ 2.) Plaintiff alleges that he planned on making a triр to the Chico area in February 2021. (Id. at ¶ 12.) He chose the Motel 6 Chico because it had a desirable price and location. (Id. at ¶ 13.)
Due to plaintiff‘s condition, he is unable to or is seriously challenged in his ability to stand, ambulate, reach objects, transfer from his chair to other equipment, and maneuver around fixed objects. (Id. at ¶ 14.) Plaintiff requires an acсessible guestroom and information about accessible features in hotel rooms so that he can confidently book those rooms and travel independently and safely. (Id. at ¶ 15.)
On January 22, 2021, plaintiff visited the Motel 6 Chico reservation website at https://www.motel6.com/content/g6/en/home.html seeking to book an accessible room. (Id. at ¶ 16.) Plaintiff alleges therе was insufficient information about the accessible features in the “accessible rooms” at the hotel to permit him to assess independently whether a given hotel room would work for him. (Id. at ¶ 18.)
Specifically, he contends he needs to know whether (1) the doorways provide at least 32 inches of clearance; (2) there is at least 30 inches width on the sidе of the bed for plaintiff
Plaintiff states he will continue to travel to the Chico area on a regular and ongoing basis and will patronize the Motel 6 Chico once the defendant has changed its policies to сomply with the ADA such that he can determine whether the hotel is physically accessible during the reservation process. (Id. at ¶ 28.)
II. Request for Judicial Notice
In its request for judicial notice in support of its motion to dismiss (Docket No. 8-2), defendant requests that the court take judicial notice of: (1) the Consent Decree in United States v. Hilton Worldwide Inc., No. 10-1924, filed in the District Court for the District of Columbia on November 29, 2010; (2) a list of lawsuits filed by plaintiff and plaintiff‘s law
The Hilton Consent Decree is a court document in the public record. Courts may take judicial notice of “court filings and other matters of public record.” Reyn‘s Pasta Bella, LLC v. Visa USA, Inc., 442 F.3d 741, 746 n.6 (9th Cir. 2006). Although, plaintiff does not object to the request, the court finds nothing in the fact that the consent decree was entered, nor in its contents, which is relevant to the issues to be determined in this motion. Accordingly, the court does not take judicial notice of the Hilton Consent Decree.
Plaintiff opposes defendant‘s request fоr judicial notice of plaintiff‘s litigation history on the ground that it is not relevant to the issues before the court. (Opp‘n to Mot. to Dismiss at 1-2 (Docket No. 11).) The court agrees. Plaintiff has already informed the court that he is an “ADA tester“, or someone who evaluates and documents the accessibility of businesses and websites to ensure that they comply with the ADA. (See Compl. at ¶ 29.) More importantly, plaintiff‘s litigation history is not helpful in deciding any of the issues before the court on this motion. (Compl. at ¶ 29.)
Defendant‘s request for judicial notice of the website images is unopposed by plaintiff. (See Opp‘n to Mot. to Dismiss at 8.) On a motion to dismiss, a court may consider evidence outside of the complaint if: “(1) the complaint refers to the
III. Discussion
“The plausibility standard is not akin to a ‘probability requirement,’ but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). “Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Id. Although legal conclusions
A. ADA Claim
To succeed on a discrimination claim under Title III of the ADA, a plaintiff must show that “(1) he is disabled within the meaning of the ADA; (2) the defendant is a private entity that owns, leases, or operates a place of public accommodation; and (3) the plaintiff was denied public accommodation by the defendant because of [his] disability.” See Ariz. ex rel. Goddard v. Harkins Amusement Enters., 630 F.3d 666, 670 (9th Cir. 2011).
The only element in dispute is whether the plaintiff was denied public accommodation because of his disability. That element is satisfied when the plaintiff can show a violation of accessibility standards. See Chapman v. Pier 1 Imports (U.S.) Inc., 631 F.3d 939, 945 (9th Cir. 2011). Here, plaintiff contends that the Motel 6 Chico‘s reservation system in effect denied him public accommodation by failing to describe the hotel‘s accessibility features in sufficient detail. (See Compl. at ¶ 35.)
Under the “Reservations Rule” promulgated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) pursuаnt to the ADA, a hotel‘s reservation website must “[i]dentify and describe accessible features in the hotels and guest rooms offered through its reservations service in enough detail to reasonably permit individuals with disabilities to assess independently whether a given hotel or guest room meets his or her accessibility needs. . . .”
The Department recognizes that a reservations system is not intended to be an accessibility survey. However, specific information concerning accessibility features is essential to travelers with disabilities. Because of the wide variations in the level of accessibility that travelers will encounter, the Department cannot specify whаt information must be included in every instance. For hotels that were built in compliance with the 1991 Standards, it may be sufficient to specify that the hotel is accessible and, for each accessible room, to describe the general type of room (e.g., deluxe executive suite), the size and number of beds (e.g., two queen beds), the type of accessible bathing facility (e.g., roll-in shower), and communications features available in the room (e.g., alarms and visual notification devices) . . . . [O]nce reservations are made . . . many individuals with disabilities may wish to contact the hotel or reservations service for more detailed information. At that point, trained staff (including staff located on-site at the hotel and staff located off-site at a reservations center) should be available to provide additional information such as the specific layout of the room and bathroom, shower design, grab-bar locations, and other amenities available (e.g., bathtub bench) . . . .
The DOJ‘s administrative guidance in intеrpreting the requirements of the ADA is entitled to deference. See Bragdon v. Abbott, 524 U.S. 624, 646 (1998) (“As the agency directed by Congress to issue implementing regulations . . . to render technical assistance explaining the responsibilities of covered individuals and institutions and to enforce Title III in court, the [DOJ‘s] views are entitled to deference.“); Fortyune v. City of Lomita, 766 F.3d 1098, 1104 (9th Cir. 2014) (“The DOJ‘s interpretation of its ADA implementing regulatiоns is entitled to ‘controlling weight unless it is plainly erroneous or inconsistent with the regulation.‘“).
Plaintiff argues that the DOJ Guidance is simply “some musings” by the DOJ and is not a rule or statement. (See Opp‘n to Mot. to Dismiss at 6.) However, numerous district courts in this circuit have found compliance with the DOJ guidance to be sufficient to satisfy the ADA and Reservations Rule. In at least 70 substantially similar cases, courts in this circuit have granted motions to dismiss based on the DOJ guidance, rejecting plaintiff‘s position.2 Like those other courts, this court gives
The “Motel Accessibility” page lists the common areas of the hotel that are accessible and provides further details about them, including, among other things, the fixed pool lift, the routes of travel, and the accessible lobby registration desk. (See Req. for Judicial Notice, Ex. 3.) Notably, the website also lists that the doorways to the guestrooms have 32” of clear width (id.), which is a feature plaintiff included in his list of desired information. (Compl. at ¶ 24.) With respect to the accessible guest rooms, the descriptions of the rooms track the guidelines and indicate the type of room, the size and number of
Plaintiff argues that by stating that certain specified information “may be sufficient” the DOJ Guidance does not purport to provide an exhaustive list of the information concerning accessibility features that must be contained on the website. (Opp‘n to Mot. to Dismiss at 6.) That is true. The DOJ Guidance itself informs readers when more information may be required on a hotel website, namely, information about features that either “(1) do not comply with the current Standards or (2) can be provided as one of the several acceptable alternatives.” See Love v. Wildcats Owner LLC, No. 20-cv-08913-DMR, 2021 WL 1253739 at *7 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 4, 2021); see also Love v. CHSP TRS San Francisco LLC, No. 20-cv-07259, 2021 WL 3141198 at *4-5 (N.D Cal. July 26, 2021); Love v. Concord Hotel LLC, No. 21-cv-00933-VC, 2021 WL 2966164 at *1 (N.D. Cal. July 15, 2021) (“[t]here could be situations where a room is ‘accessible’ as defined by the ADA but there is something quirky about the room that many disabled people would need to know.“)
Requiring defendant to provide more informаtion would turn the website into an “accessibility survey,” which the DOJ Guidance seeks to avoid. The specific information needed by each person with a disability may differ pursuant to that individual‘s disability, forcing the hotel‘s website to list pages and pages of accessibility information for the hotel, contrary to the DOJ
While plaintiff claims that other hotels provide more information and therefore defendant should provide it as well (Opp‘n to Mot. to Dismiss at 13), the DOJ Guidance does not require a comparative analysis. Rather, the DOJ Guidance simply sets forth the minimum information hotel websites should provide. There is no dispute that the Motel 6 Chico provides this necessary minimum information.
Plaintiff argues that the use of the word “accessible” is “a conclusion or opinion” and does not provide enough infоrmation for a person with a disability to “make an independent assessment.” (See Opp‘n to Mot. to Dismiss at 9.) However, the term “accessible” is “defined in the [ADA Accessibility Guidelines] to describe a site, building, facility, or portion thereof that complies with these guidelines.” See Garcia v. Sweet 2017, LLC, No. 2:20-cv-02181, 2021 WL 2417139, at *3 (E.D. Cal. June 14, 2021) (quoting Garcia v. Gateway Hotel L.P., No. CV 20-10752, 2021 WL 936176 (C.D. Cal Feb. 25, 2021). The DOJ Guidanсe itself states “it may be sufficient to specify that the hotel is accessible.” Therefore, defendant‘s use of the term “accessible” to describe features within the hotel indicates compliance with the ADA.
The court will accordingly grant defendant‘s motion to dismiss plaintiff‘s ADA claim.
B. California Unruh Civil Rights Act
Defendant‘s motion to dismiss plaintiff‘s second claim under the California Unruh Civil Rights Act is prеdicated on the alleged underlying ADA violation. Because the court will dismiss the underlying ADA claim, it will also dismiss the Unruh claim.
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that defendant‘s motion to dismiss (Docket No. 8), be, and the same hereby is, GRANTED.
Dated: September 23, 2021
WILLIAM B. SHUBB
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
