USA v. AMC Entertainment

  • USA v. AMC Entertainment (2006)

    DREDF is amici in USA v. AMC Entertainment, an ADA Title III stadium seating case that the US Department of Justice filed in federal court in 1999, in the Central District of California. In 2003, the Ninth Circuit ruled in a separate case that limiting accessible seating to the front row of theaters violates the ADA. Following the Ninth Circuit ruling, the district court in this case granted a nationwide injunction against AMC. But because other circuits have different views of the seating requirements, AMC appealed the injunction arguing that nationwide relief cannot be granted in a situation where circuits are in conflict about the legal arguments that support an injunction. The amicus brief argues that district courts have discretion to issue injunctions even in the face of circuit splits, focusing particularly on the effect that an adverse ruling would have on the representation provided by public interest organizations, and on implications for enforcement of civil rights laws.