ADA Reform Not Soon Enough for This Restaurant

In September, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1186 into law. The bill takes important steps to reduce lawsuit abuse in California by making it fair for businesses to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and banning “demand-for-money” letters.

Unfortunately, change came too late for Ford’s Real Hamburgers – just last week, the decades-old hamburger joint had to shut its doors after facing an abusive ADA lawsuit. The restaurant’s closure disappointed its community of longtime regulars, including a paraplegic who had eaten there for twenty-one years.

The story of Ford’s Real Hamburgers reminds us of the very real and painful consequences of lawsuit abuse. Legal reform is urgent and needs to be addressed now. No more small businesses deserve to experience what the owners of Ford’s Real Hamburgers had to undergo.  That’s why we need to continue in our fight to create jobs, not lawsuits!