Pryor Cashman Counsel Sarah Bell, co-chair of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Defense + Consulting Practice and a member of the Litigation and Labor + Employment Groups, spoke with Law360 about the potential American With Disabilities Act (ADA) impacts in 2024 of a key U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

In “Hospitality Cases And Trends To Watch In 2024,” Sarah talks about Acheson Hotels LLC v. Laufer, which SCOTUS said was moot in December 2023, and what it might mean in the year ahead:

Looking ahead to 2024 and future litigation, Sarah E. Bell, co-chair of Pryor Cashman LLP’s Americans with Disabilities Act defense and consulting practice, said she doesn't expect the justices’ opinion to effect much in the way of immediate change to a proliferation of suits stemming from the ADA’s Reservation Rule. That rule requires hotels to allow people with disabilities to make accessible room reservations in the same way as able-bodied guests, whether online or by phone.

“In the longer term, the outlook is similar to what it was before: It will take brave and well-funded litigants to successfully defend these lawsuits,” Bell said. “The only change is that now, Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurrence will hopefully provide support for any defendant who will try to go to court and litigate the ADA standing issue. I’m also curious to see whether defendants attempt to apply Justice Thomas’ framework to other types of ADA website litigation.”

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