A visually impaired individual has taken legal action against a prominent chocolate company, claiming that the company's website is inaccessible to those with visual disabilities. Camille Winfield-Newton filed a complaint on April 28, 2025, in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco against Dandelion Chocolate, Inc., alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the California Disabled Persons Act.
The lawsuit details how Winfield-Newton, who is legally blind and requires screen-reading software to navigate websites, was unable to access Dandelion Chocolate's online platform due to various accessibility barriers. On April 16, 2025, she attempted to purchase single-origin chocolate bars from Dandelion Chocolate's website but encountered significant challenges that prevented her from completing her order. The plaintiff claims these barriers include poorly descriptive alternative text for images, improperly defined heading hierarchies, and interactive elements that do not announce their state or role. These issues rendered the website incompatible with screen-reading technology and denied her equal access to goods and services offered by the company.
Winfield-Newton argues that Dandelion Chocolate's failure to provide an accessible website violates several laws designed to protect individuals with disabilities. She asserts that this inaccessibility constitutes discrimination under both federal and state law. The plaintiff seeks a permanent injunction requiring Dandelion Chocolate to make its website fully accessible by hiring a qualified consultant for ongoing accessibility improvements and training employees involved in web development. Additionally, she requests statutory damages under California law amounting to $4,000 per offense per person affected by these accessibility barriers.
Represented by attorney Andrew J. Gramajo of AJG Law Group PC., Winfield-Newton demands not only injunctive relief but also reasonable attorneys' fees and costs associated with bringing this action forward. The case has been assigned Case No.: CGC-25-624840 in front of Judge Sahar Enayati at the Superior Court of California for San Francisco County.