FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday January 9, 10:51 am ET
United States Attorney Announces Resolution of Lawsuit with National Amusements, Inc.
United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan today announced the filing of an agreed-upon consent order that resolves a lawsuit with National Amusements, Inc., filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The trial on the civil suit, filed in December 2000 by the United States against the company, was scheduled to begin today. The lawsuit challenged the construction of stadium-style movie theaters that fail to provide persons who use wheelchairs with seating locations and lines of sight comparable to the general public.
"One of the vital missions of the Department of Justice is the enforcement of our Nation's civil rights laws. By requiring that patrons who use wheelchairs have equal access to seats with comparable views to those available to other theater patrons, the Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that people with disabilities can attend and enjoy performances like anyone else," stated U.S. Attorney Sullivan. "We are pleased that National Amusements has decided to join in this proposed consent order and to provide the accommodations necessary for its patrons with disabilities."
As a result of the consent order, National Amusements's current and future stadium-style theaters will provide improved lines of sight for persons who use wheelchairs. Under the consent order, all future NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS theaters will be constructed in accordance with design requirements that place wheelchair seating within the stadium section and no closer to the screen than approximately the middle of the movie auditorium. In addition, National Amusements has agreed to make changes to a number of existing stadium-style theaters in order to provide persons who use wheelchairs with seating locations in the stadium sections of those theaters.
Stadium-style theaters offer superior lines of sight and a superlative movie-going experience. However, they present unique challenges for the placement of movie-goers using wheelchairs. While in the past such individuals may have had to sit in the front section of the theater, today's agreement affords them the opportunity to enjoy the same vantage point as non- wheelchair users.
The United States Attorney's Office filed suit against National Amusements to enforce the ADA in December 2000. In a related action, filed on the same day, the U.S. Attorney's Office also sued Hoyts Cinemas Corporation, based upon private complaints filed with the Department of Justice. The lawsuit against Hoyts Cinemas was resolved in June 2005 by a consent order entered into between the Department of Justice and Regal Entertainment Group, which acquired most of the former Hoyts movie theaters in 2004. The proposed consent order filed today resolves the litigation against National Amusements.
The case was litigated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Pineault, Eugenia M. Carris, and Mark T. Quinlivan, with assistance from attorneys in the Disability Rights Section of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division.
People interested in finding out more about the ADA can call the Justice Department's toll-free Information Line at (800) 514-0301 or (800) 514-0383 (TDD), or access the ADA homepage at: http://www.ada.gov