Class Action Claims Staples’ Parking Lots Inaccessible to Disabled Individuals

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The Staples Group, Inc. and HSPR Associates, LLC are facing a proposed class action that alleges the defendants have discriminated against individuals with disabilities by denying them equal access to Staples retail stores. The plaintiff in the case is a disabled man who suffers from chronic heart failure and gout, according to the complaint, and must use a “large, heavy duty walker” to assist him with walking. The man claims he attempted to visit one of the defendants’ office supply stores and was met with several access barriers that prevented him from being able to enter the store. The suit mentions the following potential infractions:

• No access aisle next to wheelchair accessible parking spaces;
• Ground surface in and around parking spots was “impermissibly steep” and contained cracks that were “deeper than two inches”;
• Path between the parking spaces and the store entrance was narrower than the man’s walker and didn’t allow him to pass;
• Accessible parking spaces were not located on “the shortest accessible route from parking to an entrance”;
• No designated van parking spots existed; and
• Parking spaces were too narrow and didn’t measure up to the 96-inch minimum.

The case further argues that the necessary changes needed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) were not “structurally impracticable” and should have been implemented before January 26, 1992.