Alfred Trippett v. THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART D/B/A MOMA DESIGN STORE

Case Summary

According to the complaint, plaintiff Alfred Trippett, on behalf of himself and others similarly situated, is suing The Museum of Modern Art, doing business as MoMA Design Store, for failing to provide equal access to its website, https://store.moma.org/. The complaint alleges that the website contains multiple accessibility barriers that prevent blind users from independently navigating and completing transactions. Specific issues include unlabeled dropdown menus, inaccessible promotional pop-ups, and missing alt text for images. Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief to require the defendant to make the website accessible and compensatory damages for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and New York State laws.

Causes of Action

• Violation of 42 U.S.C. §§ 12181 et seq. – Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Violation of New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y. Exec. Law Article 15 (Executive Law § 292 et seq.)
• Violation of New York State Civil Rights Law, NY CLS Civ R, Article 4 (CLS Civ R § 40 et seq.)
• Violation of New York City Human Rights Law, N.Y.C. Administrative Code § 8-102, et seq.
• Declaratory Relief

Key Allegations

• Plaintiff is legally blind and requires screen-reading software to navigate the website.
• The website contains barriers preventing blind users from navigating and conducting transactions independently.
• Barriers include unlabeled dropdown menus, inaccessible promotional pop-ups, duplicate product links, missing alt text, and keyboard traps during checkout.
• Defendant has failed to design, maintain, or update its website to be accessible.

Requested Relief

• Injunctive relief requiring Defendant to make its website accessible to blind individuals.
• Compensatory damages for violations of civil rights under New York State Human Rights Law and City Law.
• Plaintiff's reasonable attorneys' fees, expenses, and costs of suit.

Proposed Class

All legally blind individuals in the United States who have attempted to access https://store.moma.org/ and were denied equal access, with a New York subclass of legally blind individuals who reside in New York.

Jurisdiction & Venue

This Court has subject matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and 42 U.S.C. § 12181 et seq. because the claims arise under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.