Register below for a joint event with the Wharton Club of Philadelphia and the Penn Club of San Francisco.
Do you run a startup or work for a company that has a website? Is it ADA compliant? And why should you care whether or not it is ADA compliant?
In the last 3 years, the number of lawsuits filed asserting that a business’s website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has increased by over 300%, totaling over 120,000 cases and seeking damages ranging from $20,000 to several millions of dollars! Businesses’ mobile apps are also increasingly the subject of such claims.
Unfortunately for businesses, the law is still evolving and unclear with respect to what a business must do to make its website (or mobile app) accessible to individuals with disabilities, and there are no government standards or rules on this subject. Until the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Congress or the courts clarify the law on this issue, the number of lawsuits asserting this type of claim will likely continue to increase. This kind of litigation has become both a nuisance and another cost of doing business for many companies. We will have a moderated session with our panelists, followed by a 20-minute Q&A period in the end.
About the Panelists:
Charles (Chuck) Marion,C'86, W'86, L'89, is a Senior Partner at the law firm of Blank Rome LLP. He is an experienced litigator who has tried several cases to verdict, both jury and non-jury, in federal and state courts located throughout the country and also handled several domestic and international arbitrations. Chuck primarily focuses his practice in the areas of complex business litigation; franchise litigation and counseling; advising and defending businesses whose physical locations, websites, or mobile apps have been accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and similar state and local statutes; defamation; and intellectual property litigation (including patent and trademark infringement cases, claims for unfair competition and breach of non-compete and/or non-solicitation agreements, and trade secret disputes).
Jeremy Horelick is Vice President of Business Development at ADA Site Compliance, a leading provider of web accessibility solutions for businesses. Mr. Horelick works with clients across virtually every industry to help them make their websites, mobile apps, PDFs, and other digital assets compliant for those with disabilities. He specializes in finding practical and cost-effective strategies for companies of all sizes to stay ahead of the changing landscape of digital accessibility. Prior to helping launch ADA Site Compliance, Mr. Horelick was a private wealth advisor for a Wall Street investment firm.
Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Time: 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Virtual Meeting via Zoom
Cost: Wharton Members are Free
Wharton Non-members are $10
Dial-in information via Zoom will be emailed to those who register for this event in advance. You must sign up for the event by 9 PM on 2/22 before the event to receive dial-in information; missing this deadline means you may not receive the dial-in information for the event in time.