Court to Hear Case On Disability and Hotels

The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide whether a disability rights activist may sue hotels for violating a federal disability law, despite having no intention of staying at the properties. The activist, Deborah Laufer, combed through websites looking for violations of regulations under the law, the Americans With Disabilities Act, that require hotels to disclose information about their accessibility. According to court papers, Laufer, who lives in Florida, has filed more than 600 lawsuits across the nation over such infractions, typically seeking a declaration that the hotel had broken the law, an injunction ordering it to comply — and legal fees. Among the companies she sued was Acheson Hotels, which operates the Coast Village Inn and Cottages in Wells, a small town on the coast of Maine.