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NEWS: Funimation Reaches Settlement in Class-Action Lawsuit Over Allegedly Violating Americans with


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redaga



Joined: 05 Oct 2017
Posts: 26
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:18 am Reply with quote
#Bird_Black wrote:
Tenbyakugon wrote:
So we’re going to sue every company that has a website now? I mean, really.


Sure, if they discriminate against people. Why are people going out of their way to defend Funimation?


cause this borderline reads like lawsuit scam or a "me over you" problem.

WE ALL are different, so in reality its impossible to accommodate for all of us. sure, attempts can be made, but its a fools errand.

whats next then? people suffering from achondroplasia suing every single Piano maker cause they dont all have an special smaller product so they can play piano properly??
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 02 May 2011
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:32 am Reply with quote
Earlier posters have already explained that ADA requirements for websites are very basic. I think it wouldn't hurt everyone here to take a moment before responding to think about how frustrating it would be to attempt to use the internet where websites don't bother to follow easily implemented guidelines for accessibility and any meaningful attempt to make a company correct it is met with "You just want the money," variations of suck it up and accept it since you're disabled, and "Having alt text in website code is the same as demanding a tiny piano."

All this person wanted to do was be able to buy something from the Funimation webshop but was unable to navigate the website through use of tools specifically designed for people who are visually impaired because Funimation's website was non-compliant.
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NeverConvex
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Joined: 08 Jun 2013
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:33 am Reply with quote
I really don't get the histrionics over how 'unreasonable' this is. The demands were minor, are legally required, Funi is a huge corporation & has in abundance the resources needed to make the relatively mild changes, and not meeting them is actively harmful to blind users.

Last edited by NeverConvex on Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:34 am; edited 1 time in total
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Aresef



Joined: 22 Jun 2005
Posts: 909
Location: MD
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:34 am Reply with quote
NeverConvex wrote:
What's with the histrionics? Funimation's not some tiny mom-and-pop shop that has to rely on their unpaid grandson to code up their website, and the changes needed are not very large. We're talking about a massive corporation that can easily afford to respect legal requirements for accessibility, and actively chose not to do so.

I really don't get the histrionics over how 'unreasonable' this is. The demands were minor, are legally required, Funi has in abundance the resources to meet them, and not meeting them is actively harmful to blind users.


Yeah, this is how ADA suits work and how change happens. And you're right, Funi is 95% owned by Sony. Whatever this lawsuit cost, they can afford it. We should be more mad that the website had this problem in the first place.
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Ren of Heavens



Joined: 07 Jun 2003
Posts: 11
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:47 am Reply with quote
To those wondering why it had to go to court, unfortunately that's often the only way to get companies to commit resources to fixing the issue.

I was previously hired to bring a UK university's website into compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines so that it could reasonably be used with assistance from braile/audio screen readers, and the only reason I was there was because they were being fined/losing funding every month until it was resolved.


Last edited by Ren of Heavens on Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Utsuro no Hako



Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 1032
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:50 am Reply with quote
karyuudo0127 wrote:

Best practices do not equal requirement. This is simply a case of someone trying to cash in. Rolling Eyes


No, generally best practices aren't required. You can code a site that only works on Internet Explorer 3 if you want.

But accessibility requirements are different. Those are legally mandated. But if a company doesn't comply, the only way to force the issue is with a legal threat. The person who sued tried to ask Funimation to make the necessary changes, but they ignored her. What else was she supposed to do?
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deidara517



Joined: 29 May 2012
Posts: 34
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:54 am Reply with quote
This is usually the case of the lawsuits. This specific plaintiff is notorious for filing lawsuits against everything and everyone if you look up how many open cases (and closed ones) that she's charged with from big companies to small companies. She is unlikely to be doing this for any reason of virtue or nobility she's just making money through settlement after settlement.

In fact she's filed 55 lawsuits in just the 4 month span between October 2020 and January 2021. (theres also more outside of this window of time but i can confirm specific sourced material for these ones and i dont think i need to research more to prove my point.)


Last edited by deidara517 on Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:16 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Tanteikingdomkey



Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 2345
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 11:55 am Reply with quote
Hey funimation while you make your website up to code for the 2010s could you maybe try and fix ALL THE BUGS on your website and app please. Ever since you guys got bought out the website has really been quite a joke with how many problems it has had. you keep trying to add new functionality to service new territories because papa sony says so, and it keeps breaking your website even more!

I can't even login to your website on my PC half the time now a days it is so bad.
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Bridic



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:03 pm Reply with quote
Angeles is actually filing multi lawsuits against several companies, a quick search shows that she sued companies from beauty to a consumer protection law firm, the artist Michael Aram and even a motorized skateboards company.
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Florete



Joined: 21 Jan 2018
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 1:04 pm Reply with quote
NeverConvex wrote:
I really don't get the histrionics over how 'unreasonable' this is. The demands were minor, are legally required, Funi is a huge corporation & has in abundance the resources needed to make the relatively mild changes, and not meeting them is actively harmful to blind users.

It's because many Americans (I'm American, btw) believe in the stereotype that most lawsuits are from "Karens" who are just trying to make a quick buck.

This lawsuit should be seen as a win for consumers over corporations, and I do consider myself a fan of Funimation.
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NeverConvex
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Joined: 08 Jun 2013
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 1:38 pm Reply with quote
Florete wrote:
It's because many Americans (I'm American, btw) believe in the stereotype that most lawsuits are from "Karens" who are just trying to make a quick buck.


Yeah, there seems to be a deeply set jadedness about lawsuits here. The same temperament dominated many of the posts in the last thread, seemingly without any motivation in the facts related to the case (and often in direct contradiction of them).

Bridic wrote:
Angeles is actually filing multi lawsuits against several companies, a quick search shows that she sued companies from beauty to a consumer protection law firm, the artist Michael Aram and even a motorized skateboards company.


It looks to me like those are also disability accessibility suits. If that results in positive change in accessibility improvements for those websites and isn't an enormous burden to them (can't see why it would be in any of these cases; the requirements really are pretty simple, from what I can tell), I don't see anything wrong with her filing lots of cases.
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deidara517



Joined: 29 May 2012
Posts: 34
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:27 pm Reply with quote
NeverConvex wrote:
Florete wrote:
It's because many Americans (I'm American, btw) believe in the stereotype that most lawsuits are from "Karens" who are just trying to make a quick buck.


Yeah, there seems to be a deeply set jadedness about lawsuits here. The same temperament dominated many of the posts in the last thread, seemingly without any motivation in the facts related to the case (and often in direct contradiction of them).

Bridic wrote:
Angeles is actually filing multi lawsuits against several companies, a quick search shows that she sued companies from beauty to a consumer protection law firm, the artist Michael Aram and even a motorized skateboards company.


It looks to me like those are also disability accessibility suits. If that results in positive change in accessibility improvements for those websites and isn't an enormous burden to them (can't see why it would be in any of these cases; the requirements really are pretty simple, from what I can tell), I don't see anything wrong with her filing lots of cases.


here https://www.lflegal.com/2019/07/ethics-2/#A-Civil-Rights-Suit-Or-Something-Else

from an actual disabled accessibility lawyer on how what she has done with funimation and the 54 others she sued in just a 4 month window (again many more were filed in months outside of the october 2020 to January 2021 window)

People like Jenisa Angeles Actually harm disabled people by enabling sterotypes of people out for a quick buck. While it is absolutely true that not every disabled persons lawsuit is based on profit but making things fair and better for the disabled community (of which im a part of btw) she's actually just working with a lawyer firm with equally dubious morals and ethics trying to cash in. They just go after company after company and file these completely identical almost copy and pasted lawsuits. They make sure to file them in the states that also award better rewards towards suits of this kind (New york and califonia) If you read the demands of each lawsuit they include all the court fees, but also "Compensatory damages" also "Pre- and post-judgment interest" which also puts a clock on the company as the longer it takes for them to settle the higher the payment she will rake in. Not to mention if they fight it and lose. That amount can get pretty big. So these encourage settlements and speed.

more evidence its a scam is who she sues and the frequency and mass bundles of lawsuits that come out at a time. She is also sueing places and companies that she has no business being on as its impossible for the products to be used by a visually impaired person (like motorcycle gear. If you cant see well enough to read a screen you cant possibly be allowed to legally drive a motorcycle.)

These types of predators both the lawyers and the occasional disabled person with a desire for an easy payday take advantage of the sympathy and false narrative many able people have which is that if your disabled or a minority you cant be a predator or generally bad person. When in reality they exist. Trust me they exist Both in the mental disability community and the physically disabled community. Dont misunderstand me im not trying to paint out my whole community as a scam artist group but you should treat us equally with any abled person which means its okay to be a bit skeptical or research and question things that may not add up in their claims.

If you need more proof of people taking advantage of movements of social change and other progressive movements look no further then Amber Heard with the me too movement, or that idiot from the tv show empire who faked a maga hate crime. Theres more then enough real instances of violence against minorities and women that faking them or using them for profit to this level is insanely wrong and horrible. If you value these movements you should be even more furious at people who make a mockery out of a very real issue for fame or revenge or a quick buck. Look how many people in the comments piled on about funimations other website issues including loading times and speed or connection. (regardless of that not always being the websites fault but your personal internet provider and service) People like Jenisa and her lawyer firm prey on peoples sympathy or anger. In this case its sympathy for a minority and anger at big corporations.
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KitKat1721



Joined: 03 Feb 2015
Posts: 952
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:32 pm Reply with quote
This person’s been filling a ridiculous amount of lawsuits in a ridiculous amount of time, which is incredibly suspect, but if this lawsuit does end up making the website/store more accessible, I’d say its still for the best. I wouldn’t be surprised if Funimation has more legally blind users than most other anime-centric services simply due to their content and availability of multi-language options, and I would hope their store would remember that (on top of you know, being legally required to have those accessibility options).

Last edited by KitKat1721 on Tue Apr 06, 2021 9:11 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Zalis116
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Joined: 31 Mar 2005
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:33 pm Reply with quote
NeverConvex wrote:
Florete wrote:
It's because many Americans (I'm American, btw) believe in the stereotype that most lawsuits are from "Karens" who are just trying to make a quick buck.


Yeah, there seems to be a deeply set jadedness about lawsuits here. The same temperament dominated many of the posts in the last thread, seemingly without any motivation in the facts related to the case (and often in direct contradiction of them).


I imagine some of that sentiment stems from incidents like the McDonald's "hot coffee" lawsuit in the 90s, and while that suit wasn't actually frivolous at all, it became comedy fodder for years, and was integrated into the right-wing culture war against "trial lawyers" and any other forces that could hold wealthy and powerful actors accountable. And with the anime viewerbase becoming increasingly conservative over the years, it's no surprise that many would embrace an "identify with the strong, hold the weak in contempt" mindset.
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NeverConvex
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Joined: 08 Jun 2013
Posts: 2269
PostPosted: Tue Apr 06, 2021 3:03 pm Reply with quote
KitKat1721 wrote:
This person’s been filling a ridiculous amount of lawsuits in a ridiculous amount of time, which is incredibly suspect, but if this lawsuit does end up making the website/store more accessible, I’d say its still for the best.


This is my take too, although reading through the ADA lawyer's blog that deidara517 linked in reply to me above, it does make me wonder a bit that no details on the terms of settlement were available, and as yet we haven't seen any "public statement about any accessibility improvements". It would be nice to know if this results in any positive changes to the website.
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