Walgreens Faces Lawsuit After Humiliating a Customer

According to a new lawsuit, an accessibility barrier at a Walgreens pharmacy in Miami made a customer (who uses a wheelchair for mobility) feel excluded, embarrassed, and dejected.

Plaintiff Allegations

On April 19, lead plaintiff Jesus Gonzalez filed a complaint against Walgreen Co. in a Miami district court, alleging that the corporation violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Gonzalez, who has neuropathy and nerve damage as a result of radiation, uses a wheelchair to get around, according to the lawsuit.

He’s asking for a court order against Walgreens to change its ADA policies and practices, repair the Bird Avenue pharmacy, and pay his legal fees.

Walgreens’ Pharmacy

Walgreens, the country’s leading drugstore chain, has once again broken federal law by humiliating a person with a disability.

The Walgreen Co. and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan reached an agreement in 2004 to settle a lawsuit she filed claiming that many of the chain’s stores had barriers that restricted access for disabled people.

According to news reports, the settlement is the largest ever reached under Illinois laws governing access to facilities for people with physical disabilities.

It will result in new parking spaces closer to store doors, signs designating disabled parking spots, new curb cuts for wheelchair access, decreased slopes for existing curb cuts, and the removal of other obstructions.

However, because of these allegations, it has been proven that Walgreens still failed to fix its facilities and give equal access to disabled persons.

Walgreens was also charged under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) in 2011 for firing a diabetic employee rather than accommodating her.

About the Walgreens ADA Lawsuit

Gonzalez went to the Bird Avenue Walgreens pharmacy near his home on April 18 to purchase various products.

However, he had trouble exiting his car when he arrived because the allocated accessible parking spaces are situated on an “excessive slope” due to a lack of maintenance. The lawsuit also mentions that the open parking spaces have faded striping.

Gonzalez claims he was unable to use the bathroom without help while inside the shop.

He was exposed to a cutting and burning threat in the restrooms because the lavatory pipes and water supply lines were not fully wrapped.

He was unable to use the toilet on his own because it did not meet the necessary measurements.

According to the lawsuit, Gonzalez was refused complete and fair access to the pharmacy due to the building’s non-compliance with ADA rules.

Plaintiff felt excluded, embarrassed, and dejected after leaving the Walgreens pharmacy at 3490 Bird Avenue.

Moreover, Walgreens is well aware of the ADA and its provision to have fair access in all aspects of a pharmacy.

As a result, its failure to adequately accommodate mobility impaired and disabled patrons by ensuring that its Walgreens pharmacy at 3490 Bird Avenue is completely accessible is willful, malicious, and discriminatory, as well as a flagrant violation of the plaintiff’s Civil Rights.

Gonzalez sustained loss of dignity, emotional suffering, and other tangible injuries resulting from Walgreens’ mistreatments.

In February, three restaurant chains were also sued for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Chipotle, Takao restaurant and Baby Blues Bar-B-Q are all accused of not providing proper access to customers who used wheelchairs.

Editor’s Note on Walgreens ADA Disability Access Class Action Lawsuit 2021:

This article is published to inform you about the most recent lawsuit brought against Walgreens, alleging that the company mistreats its disabled customers.

Case Name & No.: Gonzalez v. Walgreens Co., Case No 1:21-cv-21501-FAM, in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida Miami Division
Products/Services: Walgreens’ inaccessible facilities for disabled people
Allegations: Walgreens humiliated a customer on a wheelchair due to an accessibility barrier
Status: Pending

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