Адвокат подал 26 исков о нарушении прав инвалидов бизнесменам в Сент-Джозефе

THREE TIMES, KILLING HER. KMBC NINE NEWS HAS REPORTED EXTENSIVELY ABOUT SO-CALLED SUE AND SETTLE LAWSUITS FILED ACROSS MISSOURI BY ONE KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. COSTING SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS THOUSANDS. IT ALL HAS TO DO WITH ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, MOSTLY ON WEBSITES. NOW RECENTLY PASSED LEGISLATION IN MISSOURI GIVES SMALL BUSINESSES A WAY TO FIX WEB ERRORS BEFORE PAYING OUT A SETTLEMENT ON KMBC9. KRISTA TATSCHL HAS LEARNED. THE SAME ATTORNEY HAS SUED OVER TWO DOZEN MORE BUSINESSES IN SAINT JOSEPH, KANSAS CITY AND LIBERTY, THIS TIME FOR ALLEGED VIOLATIONS IN BUILDINGS. 26 BUSINESSES IN SAINT JOSEPH HAVE BEEN SUED FOR ALLEGED NON COMPLIANCE WITH THEIR BUILDINGS, BUT PEOPLE HERE, ADA ADVOCATES, AS WELL AS BUSINESS OWNERS SAY WE’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE AND THEY’RE RAISING THE RED FLAG ASKING THE QUESTION IS THIS ACTUALLY FIX THINGS OR IS THIS A MONEY GRAB ON NORTHFIELD HIGHWAY? THIS MAP SHOWS THE RED DOTS MARKING SEWARD BUSINESSES IN 2026 BY ATTORNEY KEVIN PUCKETT ON BEHALF OF BOB MYERS OF HAMILTON, WHO CLAIMS BLINDNESS AND LIVES AN HOUR FROM SAINT JOE. SMALL GAS STATIONS. LOCAL BIG BOX STORES ARE ACCUSED OF ADA VIOLATIONS. COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW MYERS VISITS THE STORE, SOMETIMES FOUR IN A DAY, AS AN ADA TESTER, AND FINDS SUSPECTED MISMEASURED WALL GRAB BARS, TOILET PAPER HOLDERS AND CURBS. THE LAWSUITS ALSO SAY MYERS IS LIMITED IN WALKING, STANDING, BENDING AND BREATHING DUE TO PERMANENT SPINAL RIGIDITY, SO THESE VISITS ARE DUBIOUS TO SOME. IF THIS PERSON FILED TEN, 20, 30, 50, 100, I MEAN, YOU KNOW THE NUMBERS IN THE TITLE THREE WEBSITE. IT CAN IT CAN GET UP INTO THE HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS THAT THEY’VE FILED THAT STARTS TO RAISE A RED FLAG. TO ME THAT SOMEONE IS REALLY TRYING TO GAME THE SYSTEM. AND HOW MUCH MONEY ARE THEY MAKING OUT OF THIS? EXPERTS SAY TESTERS COULD BE TRYING TO HELP IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY, BUT BELIEVE SERIAL PLAINTIFFS AREN’T. I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH YOUR RESTAURANT OR TARGET OR WHATEVER. I JUST TALKED TO YOU ABOUT IT. I DON’T GO TO THE STRIP MALL AND GO BUILDING TO BUILDING. IT’S JUST THAT’S NOT More than 2 dozen businesses in St. Joseph sued for alleged noncompliance with ADA Updated: 6:31 PM CDT Jul 6, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ More than two dozen businesses along North Belt Highway in St. Joseph are facing lawsuits over alleged Americans with Disabilities Act violations. Attorney Kevin Puckett filed suit on behalf of client Bob Myers, of Hamilton, Missouri, who is reportedly blind and lives an hour from St. Joe. Twenty-six St. Joseph businesses, ranging from small gas stations to big box stores, are accused of violating the ADA inside their buildings and on their properties. Court documents indicate that Myers visited the stores, sometimes four in a day, as an ADA tester. The lawsuits say Myers is limited in walking, standing, bending and breathing due to permanent spinal rigidity. While testing these businesses, Myers found alleged mismeasured wall grab bars, toilet paper holders and curbs. One ADA expert and advocate said he's not sure about the intention behind filing multiple suits. "If this person filed 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, I mean, you know, the numbers on the Title III website; it can get up into the hundreds and thousands that they've filed," said Jack McElaney, an ADA legislation expert. "That starts to raise a red flag to me that someone is really trying to game the system, and how much money are they making out of this?" Some ADA testers could be trying to help improve accessibility, but serial plaintiffs likely aren't, according to McElaney. "I have an issue with your restaurant or a Target or whatever, I just talk to you about it," McElaney said. "I don't go to the strip mall and go building to building. That's not a normal way to do things. It just, it isn't." SAINT JOSEPH, Mo. — More than two dozen businesses along North Belt Highway in St. Joseph are facing lawsuits over alleged Americans with Disabilities Act violations. Attorney Kevin Puckett filed suit on behalf of client Bob Myers, of Hamilton, Missouri, who is reportedly blind and lives an hour from St. Joe. Twenty-six St. Joseph businesses, ranging from small gas stations to big box stores, are accused of violating the ADA inside their buildings and on their properties. Court documents indicate that Myers visited the stores, sometimes four in a day, as an ADA tester. The lawsuits say Myers is limited in walking, standing, bending and breathing due to permanent spinal rigidity. While testing these businesses, Myers found alleged mismeasured wall grab bars, toilet paper holders and curbs. One ADA expert and advocate said he's not sure about the intention behind filing multiple suits. "If this person filed 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, I mean, you know, the numbers on the Title III website; it can get up into the hundreds and thousands that they've filed," said Jack McElaney, an ADA legislation expert. "That starts to raise a red flag to me that someone is really trying to game the system, and how much money are they making out of this?" Some ADA testers could be trying to help improve accessibility, but serial plaintiffs likely aren't, according to McElaney. "I have an issue with your restaurant or a Target or whatever, I just talk to you about it," McElaney said. "I don't go to the strip mall and go building to building. That's not a normal way to do things. It just, it isn't."