SAN DIEGO — A disabled California man is suing an El Cajon business owner, alleging disability discrimination.
John Schutza, who can't walk and requires a wheelchair, filed a complaint Feb. 1 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California against Pro Jeweler & Watch LLC; and Does 1-10, alleging violations of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and the Unruh Civil Rights Act.
According to the complaint, in April 2017, Schutza went to Pro Jeweler and Watch's Fast Fix, 295 Parkway Place, El Cajon, to purchase a watch battery and get a watch repaired. The suit says Schutza encountered barriers while at the transaction counters. Schutza says there was no accessible transaction counter available for persons with disabilities like himself, denying him full and equal access, which caused him difficulty and frustration.
The plaintiff alleges Pro Jeweler & Watch failed to make alterations in such a manner that, to the maximum extent feasible, the altered portions of the facility are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
Schutza seeks trial by jury, injuntive relief, actual damages and a statutory minimum of $4,000 per incident, attorney fees, litigation expenses and costs of suit. He is represented by attorney Isabel Masanque of Center for Disability Access in San Diego.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California case number 3:18-cv-00236-JLS-JMA