Ignoring Deaf Customer Cost Cab Company $42K

Deaf News: New Jersey's Passaic Cab Company accused of ignoring Deaf customer must pay $42K.



PATERSON, NJ -- Patch: Nicole Perkins contacted the company 3 times while waiting in heavy snow but was hung up and told to stop calling, officials said.



A Passaic County company who ignored and hung up on a Deaf woman's attempts to get cab during a snowstorm in 2014 was hit with a $42,000 judgement, state Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced Monday.



Superior Court Judge Thomas J. LaConte ruled that Clifton Taxi and Limousine Inc. violated the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and unlawfully denied service to Nicole Perkins, who is Deaf.



Perkins, of Jamaica, New York, contacted the company three times through a telecommunications relay service during a state of emergency and snowstorm in January 2014. Perkins was waiting for a bus that was delayed in Clifton and called the company, according to the complaint the state Division of Civil Rights filed against Clifton Taxi.



The relay service allows Perkins to make calls by sending text messages from her cell phone to a relay operator.



An operator called the company, advising them that she was assisting a Deaf Caller, but was hung up on twice. On the third call, someone at Clifton Taxi picked up and allegedly responded, "Please stop calling" and then hung up, the complaint said.



The company must pay Perkins $6,000 for emotional distress, $20,000 in penalties, and $16,000 in attorney fees.



Under federal law, all telecommunications providers are required to provide telecommunications relay services. Through these services, an individual who is Deaf, Hard of Hearing or has a speech disability can communicate in real time by telephone.



“Setting aside for a moment the egregious nature of the circumstances - a deaf woman being hung up on three times as she sought a ride to escape an oncoming blizzard - the fact is that businesses and other places of public accommodation can’t simply ignore a Deaf or Hard of Hearing person trying to communicate through a relay service,” Attorney General Porrino said in a statement. "This is an important outcome, because it puts service providers and other businesses on notice that we’re serious about protecting the rights of persons with hearing and other disabilities, and that we will hold accountable anyone who fails to follow the law.”



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Deaf Woman Sues Taco Bell Over Drive-Thru

VIDEO [CC] - Deaf News: Deaf New Jersey woman sues Taco Bell over drive-thru orders.



TRENTON, NJ -- A Deaf Atlantic City woman who primarily communicates in sign language is suing Taco Bell, saying she found it difficult, if not impossible, to order two tacos at the fast-food chain's drive-thru window.



Gina Cirrincione said in her federal lawsuit that on Jan. 11, she wrote her order on a slip of paper and handed it to an employee at the drive-thru pickup window at a Taco Bell in Pleasantville, New Jersey.



Her video of the exchange, provided to The Associated Press by her lawyer, showed an employee trying to explain that orders are placed at the start of the drive-thru.

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"I will do it this one time," he then said. "I want you to understand me, one time. After that, no more. After that, no more. Come inside. OK, is that fair?"



On March 15, Cirrincione said, she wrote her order on a slip of paper and handed it to a drive-thru employee at a Taco Bell in Atlantic City. The note was returned and the window was shut without the order or an explanation, she said. She said she entered the store and was ignored.



Also see more: Taco Bell Complains About Deaf Customers



Taco Bell's drive-thru system requires a customer to hear and speak, making it inaccessible to the Deaf in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, the lawsuit claims.



Taco Bell spokeswoman Laura Nedbal said in a statement Friday to the AP that the California-based company had not yet received the lawsuit so could not comment on it. However, she added, "Taco Bell has a fundamental policy to respect all of our customers and employees, and we are committed to maintaining an environment free of discrimination or harassment."



Cirrincione wants Taco Bell to develop a policy to consider the needs of Deaf customers and to train employees about their rights. She also is seeking punitive and compensatory damages.



"With today's technology and the sophistication of Taco Bell, there is no excuse that their drive-thrus cannot be accessible," said attorney Eric Baum of The Eisenberg & Baum Law Center For The Deaf and Hard of Hearing, who is representing Cirrincione.



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