Gainesville business owners have lost tens of thousands of dollars in the past year following nearly identical lawsuits filed by local resident Makeda Evans.
Evans, 33, has sued 43 businesses with Alachua County locations, claiming their websites failed to abide by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). She has sued another six businesses located in Orlando, Ocala or Lake City with all the lawsuits occurring in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida—totaling 49 lawsuits.
So far, 26 of the defendants with Gainesville locations have signed confidential settlement agreements, keeping the full monetary impact hidden. Mainstreet only found one locally owned business able to exit the lawsuits, without a settlement, and 17 cases remain active…