*1314 ORDER
This case is brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Plaintiff, Bill Norkunas, who is disabled, 1 claims that Defendant, Seahorse NB, LLC, which operates the Seahorse Hotel located in Neptune Beach, Florida (the “Seahorse”), is not complying with the ADA. According to the Complaint, Plaintiff “encountered architectural barriers at the subject property that discriminate against him on the basis of his disability and have endangered his safety.” (Doc. 1, p. 2, ¶ 5). Plaintiff further alleges that he desires to visit the Seahorse not only to avail himself of the goods and services available at the property, but to assure himself that this property is in compliance with the ADA so that he and others similarly situated will have full and equal enjoyment of the property without fear of discrimination. (Doc. 1, p. 3, ¶8). Plaintiff seeks injunctive relief (the only available remedy under the ADA) and attorney’s fees and costs. 2 (Doc. 1, p. 7, ¶ 16). The issue on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss is whether Mr. Norkunas has standing to bring this claim. On March 17, 2010, the Court held an evidentiary hearing on this issue.
I. STANDARD
Attacks on subject matter jurisdiction based on Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure come in two forms — facial attacks and factual attacks. This is a factual attack. A factual attack “challenges the existence of subject matter jurisdiction in fact, irrespective of the pleadings, and matters outside the pleadings, such as testimony and affidavits, are considered.”
Menchaca v. Chrysler Credit Corp.,
II. DISCUSSION
Defendant argues: (A) Plaintiff lacks standing because his visit to the Seahorse *1315 was as a “tester” whose sole purpose was to initiate litigation and he cannot prove any legitimate, concrete plans to return (Doc. 6, pp. 8-17); and (B) Plaintiff lacks standing to challenge any alleged barriers of which he was unaware at the time of filing the complaint and, with regard to the barriers actually encountered, he only has standing to challenge those that exist with regard to his own disability (Doc. 16, pp. 2-6). The Court will address each of these arguments.
A. Plaintiffs Standing to Bring this Case
Article III, § 2 of the United States Constitution limits federal jurisdiction to actual cases or controversies. A federal court therefore has an obligation to assure itself at the outset of the litigation that a litigant who seeks an injunction has Article III standing.
See Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services, Inc.,
To satisfy Article Ill’s standing requirements, a plaintiff must demonstrate: (1) an injury in fact; (2) a causal connection between the injury and conduct complained of; and (3) that it is likely that the injury will be redressed by a favorable court ruling.
Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife,
Defendant argues the fact that Plaintiff visited the Seahorse in his capacity as an ADA “tester,” in and of itself, requires dismissal because Plaintiff fails to meet the redressability requirement for Article III standing.
3
(Doc. 6, p. 8). Although the Eleventh Circuit has not addressed the issue of tester standing under the ADA,
4
it has recognized the standing
*1316
of a tester to pursue a lawsuit under the Fair Housing Act of 1968, 42 U.S.C. § 3601,
et seq.,
as well as under 42 U.S.C. § 1982.
See Watts v. Boyd Properties, 758
F.2d 1482, 1485 (11th Cir.1985) (noting that “even if a tester is motivated solely by the desire to challenge the legality of allegedly discriminatory practices, this is a sufficient purpose to confer standing” under 42 U.S.C. § 1982);
see also Havens Realty Corp. v. Coleman,
Defendant further argues that “[i]n addition to dismissal for lack of standing due to the nature of [Plaintiffs] visit as nothing more than justification for filing this suit, he also lacks standing because he cannot prove any legitimate, concrete plans to use the Seahorse lodging facilities in the future.” (Doc. 6, p. 12). It is true that when a plaintiff seeks injunctive relief, he must demonstrate a “real and immediate threat of future injury by the defendant.”
City of Los Angeles,
To assess the threat of future violations of the ADA, courts have generally focused on four factors when deciding the likelihood that a plaintiff will return to the defendant’s facility and suffer a repeat injury: “(1) the proximity of the place of public accommodation to plaintiffs residence, (2) plaintiffs past patronage of defendant’s business, (3) the definitiveness of plaintiffs plan to return, and (4) the plaintiffs frequency of travel near defendant.”
Fox v. Morris Jupiter Assocs.,
Plaintiff resides in South Florida, approximately 325 miles away from Defendant’s hotel. 7 However, he owns a second home in North Carolina and travels through Jacksonville when traveling between the homes. 8 Additionally, Plaintiff has expressed his desire to return to the Seahorse if the barriers are removed. 9
Defendant suggests that there are countless other hotels in the Jacksonville area and many that can be found closer to the interstate highway. (Tr. 43:7-23). This has no bearing on Plaintiffs intent to return to the Seahorse. Because Plaintiff
could
visit another hotel does not overcome his stated desire to have access to this hotel.
See Fox,
Defendant also argues that Plaintiffs litigation history should cast doubt on the sincerity of his desire to return to the Seahorse. (Doc. 6, pp. 14-16). Even assuming Plaintiffs history of bringing ADA suits is relevant in certain circumstances, here, Plaintiff has demonstrated a history, extending back several years, of visiting the Jacksonville area, making his stated desire to return credible. Additionally, Plaintiffs past visits to the Seahorse bolster his stated desire to return.
10
See Fox,
Defendant’s best argument is that Plaintiffs stated desire to return to the Seahorse is not “specific and concrete.” Defendant references four cases in support of its position that Plaintiff fails to meet the “specific and concrete” requirement,
Access for America, Inc. v. Associated Out-Door Clubs, Inc.,
In
Associated Out-Door Clubs, Inc.,
an unpublished decision, the Eleventh Circuit found “no error in the district court’s conclusion that, as [the plaintiff] lacked the requisite concrete and specific intent to return to the [Tampa Greyhound] Track, other than ‘someday,’ ” he lacked standing to seek injunctive relief.
Additionally, this case is distinguishable from
Rasmussen,
which dealt with a visitor to a camp. The court held that the plaintiff lacked standing to sue the camp owners for alleged ADA violations at the camp store because the plaintiff failed to demonstrate that she actually visited the store.
Both
Rosenkrantz
and
Oak Spring, Inc.
address alleged ADA violations within hotels. In
Rosenkrantz,
the court dismissed the plaintiffs ADA claim for lack of standing because he lived hundreds of miles away from the hotel and traveled to the area “irregularly], occasionally], and infrequently].”
Defendant is correct that a showing that one “might” return to a property is insufficient under both the Supreme Court’s decision in
Lujan
and the Eleventh Circuit’s decision in Shotz
11
to show an immediate threat of future harm. Defendant’s reading of this requirement, however, would require an ADA plaintiff to take a concrete step before a “specific intent to return” could be demonstrated. Not all activities are amenable to such a concrete step, and standing should not be denied to a plaintiff seeking relief under the ADA merely because he cannot produce evidence of a specific date and time to return. This is especially true in a hotel setting, where a traveler might not have a set schedule and may have many reasons for picking one hotel over another.
See Square, LLC,
Finally, the Court has considered Defendant’s contention that Plaintiffs lack of pre-suit notice weighs against the sincerity of his expressed intent to return to the Seahorse. (Tr. 138:6-8). However, the Eleventh Circuit has stated that “[a] person may file a suit seeking relief under the ADA without ever notifying the defendant of his intent to do so ...”
Association of Disabled Ams. v. Neptune Designs, Inc.,
Plaintiff has sufficiently established the threat of real and immediate future ADA injury. Accordingly, Plaintiff has standing to sue and proceed with his case.
B. Plaintiffs Standing to Challenge to Specific Barriers
Defendant argues Plaintiff lacks standing to challenge any alleged barriers of which he was unaware at the time of filing the complaint and, with regard to the barriers actually encountered, he only has standing to challenge those that exist with regard to his own disability. 13 (Doc. 16, pp. 2-6).
Defendant is correct that Plaintiff does not have standing to challenge alleged barriers of which he was unaware at the time of filing of his complaint.
See Brother v. CPL Invest., Inc.,
Plaintiffs Complaint identifies twenty-one alleged ADA violations at Defendant’s facility, broken up into the following five categories: Parking and Loading Zone; Accessible Routes; Public Restrooms; Accessible Guestrooms and Suites; and Access to Goods and Services. (Doc. 1, pp. 3-5, ¶ 10). The Court will first address Plaintiffs challenges to the barriers contained in the “Accessible Guestrooms.” The parties dispute whether Plaintiff in fact requested an accessible guest room for his stay on July 28-29, 2009. According to Plaintiff, he requested an accessible guest room. (Tr. 44:15-17). However, according to Michelle Uhlfelder, the desk clerk, Plaintiff did not request an accessible room, and instead stayed in room 108, a non-accessible room. (Tr. 106:23-24, 107:3). She said there was an accessible room available if Plaintiff had asked. (Tr. 107:1).
Certainly, each and every room in the Seahorse is not required to be ADA compliant.
15
Plaintiff must have actually stayed in a room to have standing to complain about any alleged barriers contained therein.
See CPL Invest., Inc.,
With regard to the remaining categories of alleged ADA violations, according to Plaintiff, he personally encountered architectural barriers when parking, entering the lobby, accessing the ice machine, accessing the beach and outdoor facilities, using the public restrooms, and traveling around the grounds. (Tr. 24:7-9, 31:14-25, 32:9-12; 33:6-25; 34:1-15; Doc. 11-2, pp. 6-8, ¶¶ 22-31). Based on these assertions and the actual limitations Plaintiff suffers as a result of his disability, the Court finds Plaintiff has standing to challenge the remaining categories of violations alleged in the complaint, i.e. parking and loading zone, accessible routes, public restrooms, and access to goods and services.
Accordingly, it is
ORDERED.
1. Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (Doc. 12) is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part as provided in the body of this Order. This ruling does not address whether, in fact, the Seahorse is in violation of the ADA or any remedy the Court might order if the Seahorse is found to be non-compliant.
2. Plaintiffs Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (Doc. 20) is DENIED without prejudice to renewal. Under the Local Rules, any motion for summary judgment and supporting memorandum filed by any party must be no more than 25 pages and cannot include a separate “Statement of Undisputed Facts.”
3. Plaintiffs Motion to Compel (Doc. 19) is DENIED without prejudice to refiling after conferral with Defendant to see if the issues can be resolved.
4. The parties shall file an Amended Case Management Report no later than July 15, 2010.
Notes
. Plaintiff states: "I had polio as a child and in early 1990 was diagnosed with post polio syndrome.... I must use a wheelchair/scooler to get around. With the use of my walking cane and leg brace, I am able to walk only a few feet at a time and only with considerable difficulty. I do not have full use of my hands. I drop items and have trouble with items that require tight grasping or twisting of the wrist.” (Doc. 11-2, p. 1, ¶ 2; Tr. 9:7-25, 10:14-25, 11:1-4).
. Defendant brought the instant Motion to Dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Essentially, Defendant contends Plaintiff lacks standing to bring this case. See (Doc. 6). Plaintiff has filed his response in opposition to Defendant's Motion. (Doc. 11). Defendant filed a reply. (Doc. 16).
. Plaintiff admits he is “a tester for the purpose of asserting his civil rights and monitoring, ensuring, and determining whether places of public accommodation are in compliance with the ADA ...” (Doc. 1, p. 2, ¶ 5).
. The Eleventh Circuit has largely been prevented from considering this question because neither plaintiffs nor defendants tend to appeal from adverse rulings in these cases; most typically opt for out of court settlements.
Ass’n for Disabled Americans, Inc. v. Key Largo Bay Beach, LLC,
. Notably, the Tenth Circuit has extended standing to "testers” in ADA cases as well.
See Tandy v. City of Wichita,
. It is unsettled whether the ADA actually requires proof of these factors, which essentially require an ADA Plaintiff to convince the Court that they "legitimately” want to return to the facility, before ADA standing is conferred. The Court assumes here that it does.
. Plaintiff resides in Broward County, Florida and the Seahorse is located in Duval County, Florida. (Doc. 1, p. 1, ¶¶ 1-2).
. Plaintiff states, "I have residences in South Florida and North Carolina. Jacksonville is approximately halfway between those locations. I stop overnight in a hotel in Jacksonville when I travel between my homes. This occurs at least four times per year. I also stop overnight when I travel to other states.” (Doc. 11-2, p. 5, ¶¶ 15, 16). Additionally, Plaintiff states, "I serve on the Board of Directors for the March of Dimes and as such I travel throughout the state of Florida seeking support for their work and shall return to Jacksonville.” (Id.). Plaintiff testified that he frequently travels to and through the Jacksonville area and will continue do so in the future. See (Tr. 13:10-18; 17:20-24).
. Plaintiff testified that "[ejverytime that I would drive north I would want to stay at the Seahorse, if I could.” (Tr. 74:19-20); see also (Doc. 11-2, p. 11, ¶ 42). Additionally, Plaintiff expressed a preference to staying near the beach because he has "always liked the beach” and it has been "therapeutic” for him. (Tr. 18:18-22).
. Plaintiff initially visited the Seahorse in November 2008 while staying next door. (Tr. 64:8-22). Then, Plaintiff stayed at the Seahorse on July 28-29, 2009. (Tr. 19:21-23). Plaintiff revisited the Seahorse in both August and September of 2009 (Tr. 38:14-15). In August, Plaintiff visited the hotel bar (Tr. 39:2-5) and in September, Plaintiff attempted to stay the night but the hotel was full so he again went to the hotel bar (Tr. 39:12-16).
. In
Shotz v. Cates,
the Eleventh Circuit dealt with a facial challenge to the standing of a plaintiff under the ADA.
. Mr. Norkunas testified that he and his lawyer used to provide notice to non-compliant establishments before bringing suit, but to no avail. (Tr 66:9-10).
. Additionally, Defendant argues that Plaintiff is only entitled to seek relief with regard to those barriers whose elimination is "readily achievable.” (Doc. 16, p. 6). However, although a plaintiff must demonstrate that removal of an architectural barrier is readily achievable to establish a
prima facie
ADA case,
Gathright-Dietrich v. Atlanta Landmarks, Inc.,
. Some courts have held that a plaintiff need not encounter all barriers nor have knowledge of all barriers to obtain relief.
See, e.g., Steger v. Franco, Inc.,
. The Seahorse is only required to have two accessible rooms. 28 C.F.R. Pt. 36, App. A at 9.12.
