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Maria Powell v. DC Alpine Partners, LLC, d/b/a SweatBlock

Filed

Case details

Standards cited
WCAG 2.1

Summary

According to the complaint, Maria Powell, a legally blind individual, is suing DC Alpine Partners, LLC, doing business as SweatBlock, for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act due to the inaccessibility of its e-commerce website, www.sweatblock.com. The plaintiff alleges that she encountered numerous barriers while attempting to access product information and make purchases, including missing alternative text and broken ARIA references. The complaint seeks injunctive relief to require the defendant to make its website accessible to blind users and claims that the defendant's actions constitute discrimination under federal and state laws.

About the defendant

Operates a retail e-commerce platform selling antiperspirant and deodorant products directly to consumers.

What the complaint says

The problems the plaintiff describes with the website.

  • Defendant's website is inaccessible to blind and visually impaired individuals.
  • Plaintiff encountered multiple accessibility barriers while attempting to access the website.
  • Defendant failed to implement WCAG-compliant remediation despite prior notice of accessibility issues.

Legal claims

The laws the plaintiff says the defendant broke, called causes of action.

  • Violations of the ADA, 42 U.S.C. § 12182 et seq.
  • New York State Human Rights Law
  • Violation of New York State Civil Rights Law
  • Violations of the New York City Human Rights Law
  • Declaratory Relief

What the plaintiff asks for

What the plaintiff wants the court to order.

  • A preliminary and permanent injunction prohibiting Defendant from violating Title III of the ADA.
  • A preliminary and permanent injunction requiring Defendant to make www.sweatblock.com fully accessible.
  • A declaration that Defendant discriminates against blind individuals through its website.
  • An order certifying the proposed Class and New York Subclass under Fed. R. Civ. P. 23.
  • An award of costs, litigation expenses, and reasonable attorneys’ fees.

Proposed class

The group of people the plaintiff asks to represent, so the case can cover them too.

All legally blind individuals in the United States who have attempted to access www.sweatblock.com and, as a result of Defendant’s failure to design, construct, maintain, and operate the website in an accessible manner, were denied equal access to the goods, services, and information offered thereon.