Litigating Website Accessibility Cases: An Overview and the View from the Plaintiff and Defense Perspectives (Presented by the Federal Bar Association’s Civil Rights Law Section)

Richard Hunt, Esq., Partner | Hunt Huey PLLC

Richard Hunt is a Texas Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer and partner at Hunt Huey PLLC in Dallas, with more than forty years of experience representing businesses and individuals in litigation, arbitration, and mediation. His practice is centered on the disability rights provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act, providing both defense representation and compliance consulting to a national client base spanning real estate developers, retailers, restaurants, shopping centers, banks, apartment owners, hotels, and governmental entities. Richard is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer. He is the author of Accessibility Defense (accessdefense.com), a nationally recognized blog serving as a resource for attorneys, accessibility professionals, and others involved in ADA and FHA litigation. He has served as an adjunct professor of Disability Law at the SMU Dedman School of Law, an adjunct professor of Trial Advocacy at Texas Wesleyan School of Law, and on the Examination Committee for Civil Trial Certification for the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He holds a B.A. in English and German (1978) and a J.D. (1981), and has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law since 1990.

• Education & Credentials

Richard holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and German (1978) and a Juris Doctor (1981). He has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1990 — the highest trial lawyer credential available in Texas — and served for many years on the Examination Committee for Civil Trial Certification, helping to set the standards for the very credential he holds. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas. He is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating for both legal ability and ethical standards. His adjunct teaching appointments at SMU Dedman School of Law (Disability Law) and Texas Wesleyan School of Law (Trial Advocacy) reflect sustained academic engagement alongside his active litigation practice.

• Recognition & Leadership

Richard is a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer, AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and Texas Board Certified in Civil Trial Law since 1990 — a combination of peer-recognition honors reflecting sustained excellence over four decades of practice. He has been interviewed and quoted in Forbes, The Economist, and other national publications on ADA and FHA litigation and compliance, establishing him as a nationally recognized commentator and authority in this space. His Accessibility Defense blog has become a go-to national resource for attorneys and accessibility professionals engaged in ADA and FHA litigation, demonstrating the breadth and reach of his influence beyond the courtroom. His long service on the Texas Board of Legal Specialization’s Civil Trial Certification Examination Committee reflects institutional recognition of his expertise by the state body responsible for certifying the best trial lawyers in Texas.

• Professional Involvement

Richard speaks frequently on ADA and FHA accessibility issues to national and local organizations, including the International Council of Shopping Center Developers, the Society of Exchange Counselors, the National Retail Tenants Association, and the American Bar Association. He provides public webinars and private client training on avoiding and defending ADA and FHA lawsuits and has presented on professional responsibility topics as well. He teaches Disability Law at SMU Dedman School of Law, reinforcing his commitment to educating both practitioners and students on the evolving landscape of accessibility compliance and litigation.

• Experience

Richard Hunt has spent more than forty years at the intersection of civil trial practice and disability rights law — a combination that makes him one of the most experienced and credentialed defense practitioners in ADA and FHA accessibility litigation in the country. His national consulting and defense practice spans the full range of entities subject to ADA and FHA obligations, from shopping centers and restaurants to hotels, apartment complexes, and governmental entities. His Accessibility Defense blog, his national speaking record, his SMU and Texas Wesleyan adjunct appointments, his Board Certification since 1990, and his media presence in Forbes and The Economist collectively define a career of exceptional depth and national influence in a practice area where few practitioners can match his combination of trial experience, academic engagement, and thought leadership.

William D. Goren, Esq., J.D., LL.M., Attorney & Consultant | William D. Goren, J.D., LL.M. LLC

William D. Goren is an attorney and consultant at William D. Goren, J.D., LL.M. LLC in Decatur, Georgia, whose law and consulting practice — centered at understandingtheada.com — has focused exclusively on the Americans with Disabilities Act and related laws since 1990. His practice provides consulting, counseling, representation, and training on compliance with the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Air Carrier Access Act, the Fair Housing Act, and related disability rights laws. Mr. Goren is himself deaf with a congenital bilateral hearing loss of 70–120+ decibels, giving him a deep personal understanding of what disability means in practice and how the ADA actually operates — perspective he brings to every client engagement and training. He is a frequent presenter, a trained mediator, a FINRA arbitrator (Chairperson eligible), and an arbitrator on the CPR employment panel. He is the author of Understanding the ADA, now in its 4th edition (ABA, 2013), and numerous articles on the rights of persons with disabilities. He holds an A.B. from Vassar College, a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law, and an LL.M. in Health Law from DePaul University College of Law — one of the first recipients of that degree in the country.

• Education & Credentials

Mr. Goren holds an A.B. from Vassar College, a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law, and an LL.M. in Health Law from DePaul University College of Law — where he was among the first in the entire country to receive that degree. His tri-credential combination of a liberal arts foundation, a law degree, and a health law LL.M. reflects the interdisciplinary depth that informs his ADA consulting and legal practice. He is a trained mediator, a FINRA arbitrator (Chairperson eligible), and an arbitrator on the CPR employment panel — credentials that extend his dispute resolution capabilities well beyond his consulting and training work.

• Recognition & Leadership

Mr. Goren is the author of Understanding the ADA, now in its 4th edition, published by the American Bar Association — the most comprehensive practitioner guide to the ADA and a foundational reference for attorneys, advocates, and compliance professionals. He has been a member of numerous ABA committees, including the Legal Technology Resource Center Board (2017–2023), the Law Practice Section Client Development and Marketing Committee, the Law Practice Section Ethics and Professionalism Committee, and the Law Practice Section DEI Committee. Within the Federal Bar Association, he is a member of the FBA Committee for Advancement in the Legal Profession, the FBA Civil Rights Section and its Governing Board, the FBA Civil Rights Amicus Committee, and since 2022 has served as Chair of the FBA’s Disability Best Practices Working Group — which in its first year produced an accessibility manual for the FBA and its chapters and is currently developing a resource guide for attorneys dealing with persons with disabilities. He is also a member of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bar Association and the Sports Lawyers Association.

• Professional Involvement

Mr. Goren chairs the FBA’s Disability Best Practices Working Group, serves on the FBA Civil Rights Section Governing Board and its Amicus Committee, and is a member of multiple ABA committees across law practice, ethics, and DEI. He is a frequent presenter at legal and professional events on ADA compliance, disability rights, and related topics. His blog, Understanding the ADA, provides ongoing public education on ADA developments for practitioners, businesses, and individuals. He is a trained mediator and serves as a FINRA arbitrator (Chairperson eligible) and CPR employment arbitrator, reflecting a multi-dimensional professional engagement that spans advocacy, dispute resolution, and education.

• Experience

William Goren has practiced exclusively in the ADA and disability rights space since 1990 — a 35-plus-year career that has made him one of the longest-tenured and most comprehensively credentialed ADA practitioners in the country. His ABA-published Understanding the ADA (4th ed.), his FBA Disability Best Practices Working Group leadership, his blog, his FINRA and CPR arbitrator roles, his LL.M. from DePaul, and his personal experience as a deaf professional who functions entirely in the hearing world through assistive technology together create a practice grounded in both legal and lived expertise that is unique in the disability rights field. His work spans the full spectrum of ADA-related needs — compliance consulting, legal representation, training, mediation, arbitration, and written advocacy — making him one of the most versatile and impactful voices in disability rights law today.

Jessie Weber, Esq., Managing Partner | Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP

Jessie Weber is Managing Partner at Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, where she focuses on civil litigation nationwide with an emphasis on disability rights, fair housing, workplace justice, and appellate litigation. She has successfully litigated and resolved cases involving accessible technology and document formats, voting rights for individuals with print disabilities, access to health care and educational opportunities, and employment discrimination. Among her most significant matters, she represents blind students and the National Federation of the Blind in litigation against the Los Angeles Community College District, obtaining a jury verdict finding LACCD violated Title II of the ADA through inaccessible technology and awarding over $240,000 in damages to individual plaintiffs — a verdict recently reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She was also part of the legal team in Robles v. Domino’s Pizza, LLC, achieving both a landmark Ninth Circuit decision clarifying that public accommodations must make their web and mobile services accessible under the ADA, and a subsequent trial court order holding Domino’s in violation and requiring remediation. Before joining BGL, Ms. Weber was a Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr. Appellate Advocacy Fellow at the Public Justice Center, and before that clerked for Judge Catherine C. Blake of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. She serves as president of the board of Disability Rights Maryland and holds her A.B. from Princeton University and her J.D. from Yale Law School.

• Education & Credentials

Ms. Weber holds an A.B. from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable Catherine C. Blake of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, then served as a Francis D. Murnaghan, Jr. Appellate Advocacy Fellow at the Public Justice Center — a fellowship focused on advancing justice for marginalized communities through appellate advocacy. These foundational experiences in federal court practice and public interest appellate work directly inform her current practice at Brown, Goldstein & Levy.

• Recognition & Leadership

Ms. Weber’s recognition spans major appellate and trial court victories, academic credentials, and institutional leadership. Her LACCD verdict — finding ADA Title II violations through inaccessible technology and awarding over $240,000 in damages, recently reinstated by the Ninth Circuit — is among the most significant jury verdicts in ADA digital accessibility litigation. Her role in Robles v. Domino’s Pizza produced one of the most widely cited Ninth Circuit decisions on ADA website accessibility, establishing that public accommodations cannot defer compliance pending DOJ rulemaking, and a subsequent trial court order requiring remediation. She is president of the board of Disability Rights Maryland and previously served on the boards of the ACLU of Maryland and FreeState Justice, reflecting community recognition of her disability rights leadership beyond the courtroom.

• Professional Involvement

Ms. Weber is president of the board of Disability Rights Maryland and a former board member of the ACLU of Maryland and FreeState Justice. At Brown, Goldstein & Levy, she contributes to one of the country’s leading disability rights litigation practices, working on matters that span accessible technology, voting rights, health care access, educational access, and employment discrimination. Her work in Robles v. Domino’s and the LACCD litigation has made her a nationally recognized voice on ADA digital accessibility, web and mobile application accessibility, and the procedural and substantive dimensions of disability rights enforcement in federal court.

• Experience

Jessie Weber’s practice at Brown, Goldstein & Levy places her at the forefront of ADA digital accessibility litigation — a field she has helped shape through landmark outcomes at the trial and appellate level. Her Robles v. Domino’s advocacy produced a published Ninth Circuit decision that is now a foundational reference for ADA website accessibility law, establishing that public accommodations must make digital services accessible now and cannot wait for DOJ rulemaking. Her LACCD jury verdict — finding Title II violations through inaccessible educational technology and awarding damages to blind students, reinstated on appeal — demonstrates the full arc of her litigation capability from trial through appellate reversal and reinstatement. Her Princeton and Yale Law credentials, her district court clerkship, her Murnaghan Fellowship, and her board leadership at Disability Rights Maryland collectively reflect a career defined by rigorous legal craft, public interest commitment, and landmark achievement in the rapidly evolving area of digital accessibility law.

SESSION 1 – The applicable laws and “rules,” found in website accessibility litigation | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

Examine the foundational legal framework shaping website accessibility claims, including ADA Title III, evolving WCAG standards, Department of Justice guidance, and the patchwork of federal and state rules that define how courts evaluate digital accessibility disputes today.

SESSION 2 – Plaintiff side concerns when litigating website accessibility cases | 2:10pm – 2:30pm

Explore the strategic considerations driving plaintiff-side litigation, including establishing standing, pleading sufficient factual allegations, identifying actionable accessibility barriers, selecting favorable jurisdictions, and navigating recent judicial skepticism toward serial filers that has reshaped how accessibility claims are successfully brought.

SESSION 3 – Defense side concerns when litigating website accessibility cases | 2:30pm – 2:50pm

Analyze critical defense strategies for responding to accessibility claims, including challenging standing, asserting mootness through remediation, evaluating settlement versus litigation tradeoffs, addressing widget-related exposure, and advising business clients on proactive compliance measures that reduce future litigation risk.

SESSION 4 – Resources and Q&A | 2:50pm – 3:00pm

Engage directly with the presenter during an interactive session covering practical compliance resources, audit tools, WCAG reference materials, and litigation checklists, while addressing attendee questions drawn from real-world scenarios encountered in active website accessibility cases.