ORLANDO, Fla. — Around 100 local businesses have been hit with federal lawsuits over the last year, all filed by the same attorney, and all alleging the same thing -- violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
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Investigative Reporter Karla Ray first told you about these suits back in 2018, and she learned since then, attorney Joe Quick has filed more than 500 of these suits in Central Florida.
Business owners impacted say the violations are minor, and could bankrupt them as they make repairs and pay attorneys fees to boot.
On the corner of King Street and Brevard Avenue, Milpa Tacos Y Tortillas cornered a market that Cocoa Village was missing, by bringing authentic Mexican dishes Alma Martinez grew up eating.
“This has been a lifelong dream. I I grew up in the restaurant industry,” Martinez said. “It’s a beautiful location, a beautiful town of Cocoa Village, and we thought that was a right market, and we’ve been very happy so far.”
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That’s until a federal lawsuit was filed a few weeks back, accusing Milpa of more than a dozen violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act, including questions of whether the tables are accessible, problems with the size and grade of entryways, and issues in the bathroom, including the height of the mirror on the wall.
“It was very shocking to me, because I have people who come in wheelchairs all the time, and no one has ever mentioned anything about it,” Martinez said. “We see them coming in and out of the restrooms, in the front door, and getting to the table right away. I was startled.”
Most of the issues are easy, inexpensive fixes, but the suit also pointed out the bar in the restaurant, which was used by another restaurant for years, has no accessible seating. That’s a much pricier problem.
“We’re looking somewhere between $10-thousand to $15,000,” Martinez said about expected attorneys fees in the case. “And the remodeling aspect of around $20,000, it could bankrupt us.”
Theirs is one of more than 500 lawsuits filed in Central Florida by the same attorney, who we have interviewed before.
“I love what I do. I told you that last time we did this, because I’m helping people,” attorney Joe Quick said.
Joe Quick represents the same three plaintiffs over and over, settles most of those cases within a few months, and collects attorneys fees on all of them.
“I’m not non-profit. I’m in business to make money. I’m a lawyer,” Quick said. “But the goal with me has never been to make money. The goal has always been to make it better.”
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Quick says his hope is that these lawsuits force more people to think about those with disabilities. It’s something he can relate to now more than ever before; for the first time in his life, Quick is using a wheelchair. He’s in the end stages of pancreatic cancer.
“I haven’t gotten rich off this, but I’ve made some money, which has made my life better,” Quick said. “But it’s made the plaintiffs’ lives much better, so that they can access things, which is what this was passed to do in the beginning.”
Martinez and other business owners argue there should be more of a warning, and opportunity to fix the issues, without federal filings, calling the suits predatory.
“You’re breaking the law without knowing that you’re breaking the law,” Martinez said.
Quick points out that the ADA law has been in place for decades, and everyone should support it.
“They’re violating the law. We’re enforcing the law. There’s nothing wrong with this,” Quick said.
Quick says this latest round of lawsuits is his last due to his health condition.
Martinez and other business owners we spoke to who have been hit with those suits recently say they are working to make the fixes needed to come into compliance with the law. If they don’t, they could be hit with duplicate lawsuits in the future.
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