Overview
MetroIBA’s efforts to prevent unethical abuse of the state’s disability human rights laws took a major step forward on April 8, when SF 2584 passed unanimously in the Senate Judiciary Committee. It has now been reported to the Senate floor.
Last month, the House companion bill, HF 2955, also passed committee and is awaiting action on the House floor. The next step will be to reconcile differences between the two bills. We are optimistic that the bill will pass this session.
Initiated and largely written by MetroIBA board member Michael Frasier and carried forward by MetroIBA member, Dan Marshall, this reform bill would prevent abusive “drive-by” lawsuits based on minor or even fictitious infractions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and corresponding Minnesota law. Hundreds of small business have been hit with these nuisance suits in the past two years, including several MetroIBA members, many of whom were forced to pay exorbitant legal fees directly to the unethical lawyer filing these suits.