A southern California business owner involved in a costly lawsuit said he would have fixed the problem right away -- had the plaintiffs let him know about it immediately.
Restaurant owner Ron Piazza said employees had replaced a mirror which had been destroyed by vandals. The new mirror, two inches shorter than the previous one, was hanging too high to satisfy disability access regulations, Piazza explains in a video on www.FacesofLawsuitAbuse.org. Once he was notified of the mistake, he lowered the mirror.
But it was too late. His business was sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The plaintiffs allege that the height of the mirror inflicted damages each time they visited -- for a total of 27 incidents in a three-month period.
"The multiple visits allow the plaintiffs and their lawyer to sue for damages per visit. ... Had I not lowered the mirror, they probably would have continued to come and log more visits," Piazza said.
Piazza said he will keep his restaurant open, even though the lawsuit has cost more than the business made last year.
Piazza's story is one of many highlighted in a campaign by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, which shows how frivolous lawsuits are harming small businesses. View his story here. More stories can also be seen on the CJAC web site.