Robbins, Salomon & Patt Recognized for Landmark American with Disabilities Act Case

CHICAGO, Oct. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Robbins, Salomon & Patt, Ltd. (RSP), a full-service law firm in the Chicagoland area, was recently honored by the Washington Lawyer's Committee with the 2020 Outstanding Achievement Award for its advocacy on behalf of persons with disabilities. The award recognized RSP's work on Fisher v. Kohl's Corporation and Kohl's Department Stores, Inc., a putative class action suit challenging Kohl's for violating Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) due to narrow aisle widths. 

The Washington Lawyers' Committee partners with the private bar and nonprofits to provide legal assistance to individuals and communities who experience violations of their civil rights. The Committee, representing the Equal Rights Center, together with RSP, filed the Kohl's suit in 2014 after years of non-response from Kohl's to their clients' complaints. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied class certification and the case was split and tried in five separate venues. RSP reached a settlement with Kohl's in January 2020. 

"Every part of the litigation was quite contentious, but the lynchpin the case turned on was whether the ADA required retailers to make the aisles between moveable racks accessible," explained litigator and RSP attorney Jennifer M. Sender. "We achieved important landmark decisions that moveable displays are in fact covered by the ADA."

Each year, lawyers and firms contribute thousands of hours of their time on Washington Lawyers' Committee cases and projects. The Committee recognizes outstanding contributions during the annual Wiley A. Branton Awards Luncheon, held virtually this year. RSP was honored alongside 13 other organizations for its advocacy and partnership.

"The Equal Rights Center and the Committee were great partners and we'd be honored to work with them again," said RSP attorney, Andrés J. Gallegos, who leads the firm's national disability rights practice. "It's always nice to be recognized for the work you do, but we don't do this work for recognition, we do it out of necessity. The ADA was enacted in 1990 and the fact that here we are in 2020 still trying to fight for persons utilizing wheelchairs to have access to merchandise is quite shameful."

The Equal Rights Center, based in Washington D.C., is one of the preeminent disability rights advocacy organizations in country. 

More information about Robbins, Salomon & Patt, Ltd. can be found at www.rsplaw.com.  

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