Podcast Company, Gimlet Media, Sued for Lack of Accessibility
July 15, 2020 BY ELISA LEWIS
Updated: March 31, 2021
A class-action lawsuit was filed against Gimlet Media (a podcast division inside of Spotify) for lack of accessibility for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. The plaintiff, Kahlimah Jones, argues that Gimlet Media violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for failing to provide closed captioning on various podcasts.
Accessibility advocates and community members may find this lawsuit familiar in many aspects. Jones has filed over a dozen ADA lawsuits over the past few years, including suits against Home Depot, Walmart, and Lowe’s. The one thing that’s different, this time? This is the first lawsuit we’ve seen focused on podcast accessibility! We’re guessing it won’t be the last.
5 Reasons Why You Should Transcribe Your Podcasts➡️
About the Lawsuit
The Plaintiff, Kahlimah Jones, is a deaf individual, who according to the lawsuit, was interested in listening to podcasts on several different topics. Upon browsing the website, Jones came across “numerous access barriers” preventing her from independently listening to the podcasts. Namely, there were no captions or transcripts provided.
This complaint seeks measures necessary to ensure compliance with federal and state law as well as monitoring, to update [...]