LOS ANGELES – A wheelchair user alleges a Lawndale restaurant denied him full and equal access to its amenities because of the condition of its parking lot.
Carmen John Perri filed a complaint on April 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Western Division against El Polo Loco No. 3341, Oceangate Property LLC, and Does 1-10 over alleged violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Unruh Civil Rights Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on April 9, 2018, he went to defendants' business premises to purchase a beverage and encountered difficulty accessing the parking spaces in the parking lot. The plaintiff alleges that instead of having a compliant, designated disabled parking spot, the property has a built up curb ramp that projects from the sidewalk and into the handicapped parking area.
As a result, Perri claims he was denied full and equal access and caused him difficulty, humiliation and frustration.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment for actual damages and statutory damages of no less than $4,000 per violation, attorneys' fees, litigation expenses, and costs of suit. He is represented by Joseph R. Manning Jr. and Michael J. Manning, Craig G. Côté of Manning Law APC in Newport Beach.
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Western Division case number 2:18-cv-03622-JPR