Gov. Doug Ducey has signed a bill aiming to limit “drive-by” lawsuits over violations of the Arizonans with Disabilities Act, the Arizona Republic reported.
Arizona businesses will now have 90 days to fix structural accessibility issues before a lawsuit could be filed. The law is different from a compromise proposal reached earlier between business groups and advocates for people with disabilities, leaving some unhappy.
But Rep. J.D. Mesnard, who introduced the changes to the compromise, said the law balances the needs of businesses and people with disabilities. He said he wanted to avoid: “throwing so many burdens on our business community that opening a business and having a thriving business becomes a burden itself,” according to the Arizona Republic.
“I’m not going to minimize the feelings of those in the disability community when they face a situation (with an accessibility issue),” he told the paper. “At the same time, I’m not going to minimize the frustration of businesses as they attempt to comply with a litany of government regulations.”
The issue arose last year, when one group filed more than 1,700 lawsuits in Maricopa County alone in a seven-month period.
