Merced County lawmaker seeks changes with Americans with Disabilities Act

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A state lawmaker from the North Valley says too many small businesses are being sued for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, and now he wants to change that.

Several Merced County businesses have recently been hit with ADA lawsuits. Atwater resident Aurora Cervantes has filed more than a dozen of them. Some store owners have now posted warning fliers with her photo in their windows. They claim she's searching for any minor issues just to make money. But her attorney argues suing is often the only way to get businesses into compliance. Assemblyman Adam Gray disagrees.

"I think we could put in a window of time with which to fix the problem," said Assemblyman Gray. "We could levy fines with local inspectors. There's a lot of ways to address the issue without just frivolous or needless litigation."

The democrat has now formed a working group of community leaders and small business owners to come up with other solutions. He plans to use that information to propose new legislation early next year.

Watch the video for extended coverage from Action News reporter Sara Sandrik.