Did You Hear About The Wheelchair Bound Man Who Is Making His Living Off Of Lawsuits?

pamjh960

There are many businesses (mostly smaller, privately owned) whose ability to either hire or accommodate persons with disabilities is greatly impacted by their ability to afford these upgrades or code infractions.

Mr. Wheelchair is making a killing off the ignorance of those business people struggling to stay in business. It sounds more like he has an axe to grind and is using the courts to exact his pound of flesh.

Are his court cases winning anything for disabled persons in general, or is it a case where he is gaining notoriety for his diligence and perseverance?

I don't applaud him for his method per se, but I do understand that disabled persons need a voice.

The Americans with Disabilities Act came about in a similar way, but not as unethically. Check out the movie "Music Within" the story of Richard Pimentel who was became deaf while fighting in Viet Nam, and eventually crafted the Americans with Disabilities Act; training businesses and governments on how to treat disabled persons fairly and with respect.

syddvicious

I think this speaks volumes about our legal system.

Saul Tigh

It's extortion. If he cared about his fellow disabled Americans he would give the business a chance to correct the violation before going to court. It sounds like he is more interested in lining his own pocket.

DaveNCUSA

As a person who uses a wheelchair, I see lots of places that are not accessible, but I view his approach to correct the problems as extortion.

nik

I've heard about him. The thing is, is that it's an unfair thing to do. Although it doesn't hurt places really, they just pay some money to avoid the publicity, it is still a very unethical way to earn money.

Shayne

low life. He should be lucky that the government is not doing a eugenics program anymore.

butterfly8877

I'm just wondering if this is only in California. In Ohio, a business gets three strikes, and then one may take action. I think that instead of Ohio trying to mimick what California laws, California should mimick Ohio. He has gotten greedy!

BTW: So, he's on disability and collecting six figures?!.....Californians speak up about this man!

funkymuzic

This is a prime example of why all monetary awards in these sorts of cases should be put into a fund that improves accessibility and does NOT go into the pocket of the person filing the lawsuit OR the lawyer.

pachl@sbcglobal.net

If he tried this nonsense in other countries, I think someone would grab his wheelchair, wheel him into a dark alley, and give him a good talking to.... that he'd never forget... if you know what I mean.

This guy is scum. He is scamming the system. He is using the law in a twisted way, and it is out and out extortion.

What irritates me is that, wherever you go, the stores have far too many handicapped parking spots. You'll see perhaps ten, and never more than one used. The irony is seeing health clubs with a dozen handicapped spots, and maybe they have one handicapped member.

Mrs. Herrera

I saw that.
Some of these things have gotten out of hand, in this story the people in violation need to be given a notice before they can be sued. I also hope he is reporting his income.
In a city near mine they are spending millions of dollars to put in wheelchair ramps at the grass medians and concrete islands.... when we have no sidewalks for them to lead to all because under the ADA someone can sue if they don't.

Samson-U know the guy w the hair

I had not heard of him until you posted this question. Thanks. It's interesting. But I think that he is one of those guys that makes people who really are hurt by certain things not able to sue. He gives suing a bad name. Not that it has a good name. But there are people who genuinely get hurt by things when they were not looking for a reason to sue and when they try to sue companies, a lot of times they don't succeed because the company says that person is just out looking for a fast buck. This guy in the wheelchair is out looking for a fast buck. He goes to places and looks for things. Things that probably wouldn't affect him anyway on that visit. You can understand if someone is disabled and they can't do something at a place they were at because it's not disabled accessible but if you weren't planning on using the thing and you weren't inconvieenced by it they why sue? It's just for money.

However, I noticed that many businesses are not wheel chair accessible. And that is wrong. They should change that. But this guy.. I think he's just a bitter disabled guy who is angry at the world and is trying to take advantage of it any way he can.

Cut Throat B****

I saw this somewhere yesterday. I have mixed feelings. He does have a right to access but the fact that he is making a living off of this is ridiculous. I certainly wouldn't be boasting about it if I were him.

Joe B

He's cunning, unscrupulous and lacks any shame. So what?

Be a hustler. It's OK in America's new dog eat dog society. Look at the CEOs. They understand.

talic

way to take advantage of a situation....
it think it is petty...you can not accommodate every single person in the world, there will always be flaws.

ducky

he isn't the only one
In San Diego we have a woman that does the same thing.

she and her lawyer work together like partners in crime.

I think it's very wrong...
using good laws to do bad things.

alex

He is right in poiting out these problems , I don`t think he should get money for it.

He would be a great politician

ScarletBloodDoll

I understand the need to have access to places if your handicapped/disabled and I understand why he does this.
But the way he does this, it doesn't seem ethical.
I think that business should have a chance to be able to fix it within a certain time period opposed to, if you don't have it done right off the bat then you get hit with a lawsuit.
He probably thinks that the world owes him something for his disability.
I myself am disabled and I do just well. I'm not physically impaired but I certainly don't go around extorting money from people, just because the mirror was 3 inches to short.

Josh

That's unjust, he should be brought to prison, or court under false proseutions to disabled... that's just dumb..

Jack Haaf

Did you hear about the man who capitalized the first letter of every word in his question?

THUG LIFE

Well see it's like this, everyone needs money, that's just the way it is. Now someone in a wheelchair can't do most jobs that able bodied people can do, but also the jobs that they are able to do are often kept from people like that...people who would need them, because abled bodied people don't like to look at or work with people like that. So please don't go pointing fingers when there will always be three fingers pointed back at you. Life for people in wheelchairs isn't like the guy on family guy or anything else that you might see on television.

Jetglam

Buck Ofama

Yes i did.

I think his next job will be in the Obama administration.

~*~Krissy~*~

This guy is an utter genius.

baby girl <3.

sound like a good idea to me.

hillarystarbright

I think it's a pretty one-sided story, written to make anti-tort people happy. This man couldn't file the lawsuits if there weren't legitimate breaches of the law.

If you believe this story, I have some beachfront property in Wyoming I'd like you to see ....

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