A visually impaired woman has filed a lawsuit against a popular pizza chain, alleging that its website is inaccessible to blind and visually impaired individuals. The complaint was filed by Chelette Dewees in the Superior Court of California for the County of Santa Clara on April 21, 2025, targeting MOD Super Fast Pizza (California), LLC.
Chelette Dewees, who is legally blind, accuses MOD Super Fast Pizza of failing to design and maintain its website in a manner that is accessible to individuals who rely on screen-reading software. According to the complaint, Dewees attempted to access the company's website on April 16, 2025, with the intention of purchasing a customizable pizza but encountered multiple barriers that prevented her from completing her order. "Being unable to access websites puts individuals at a great disadvantage in today’s society," the complaint states, citing a U.S. Department of Justice statement from 2013. Dewees claims that these barriers violate her rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), California's Unruh Civil Rights Act (UCRA), and the California Disabled Persons Act (CDPA).
The lawsuit highlights several specific accessibility issues with MOD Pizza's website, including non-descriptive names for interactive elements, lack of keyboard focusability for certain features, and ambiguous link texts. These deficiencies allegedly prevent visually impaired users from navigating the site effectively and accessing its content equally compared to sighted users. The plaintiff argues that such barriers constitute intentional discrimination against individuals with disabilities and seeks injunctive relief requiring MOD Pizza to make its website fully accessible.
Dewees requests that the court order MOD Super Fast Pizza to hire a qualified consultant to improve website accessibility and provide training for employees involved in web development. She also seeks statutory damages under California law for each offense and demands that MOD Pizza adopt policies ensuring ongoing compliance with accessibility standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA.
Representing Dewees is attorney Andrew J. Gramajo from AJG Law Group, PC. The case has been assigned Case No. 25CV463934 in front of Judge T. Phan at the Superior Court of California for Santa Clara County.