Antoninetti v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

614 F.3d 971, 2010 U.S. App. LEXIS 15247
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedJuly 26, 2010
Docket08-55867, 08-55946, 09-55327, 09-55425
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 614 F.3d 971 (Antoninetti v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Antoninetti v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., 614 F.3d 971, 2010 U.S. App. LEXIS 15247 (9th Cir. 2010).

Opinion

ORDER AND AMENDED OPINION

The opinion filed July 26, 2010 is amended as follows. On page 980 of the opinion, after the sentence, “We must therefore be ‘particularly cautious’ regarding ‘credibility determinations that rely on a plaintiffs past [Disabilities Act] litigation.’ Id.,” insert the following text:

Such caution is especially appropriate in this case where, as previously noted, Chipotle stipulated that “Antoninetti wants to be able to have the ‘Chipotle experience.’ ” Accordingly, there can be no doubt that Antoninetti wanted to return to the Chipotle restaurants to enjoy the same experience that other non-disabled Chipotle customers could have. The district court’s finding thus is inconsistent with and totally undermined by the parties’ stipulation.

With these amendments, the petition for rehearing is DENIED. No judge has requested a vote on the petition for rehearing en banc. The petition for rehearing en banc is DENIED. No further petitions will be entertained.

OPINION

FRIEDMAN, Circuit Judge:

This case presents several issues involving the application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“Disabilities Act” or “Act”) to a wheelchair-bound customer of the well-known Mexican fast-food restaurants operated by Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (“Chipotle”). The question on the merits is whether the actions Chipotle took to accommodate the customer’s disability satisfied the requirements of the Act and its implementing guidelines. We hold that they did not and accordingly that Chipotle violated the Act. Another question is whether the district court erred in denying the customer injunctive relief. We hold that, under the circumstances, the district court should grant injunctive relief. We also vacate the district court’s award of attorney’s fees, which was substantially less than the customer had sought, and direct reconsideration of the amount of the fee in light of our ruling on the merits. We affirm-in-part, reverse-in-part, vacate-in-part, and remand to the district court for further proceedings.

I

A. The case arises out of visits by the appellant, Maurizio Antoninetti, to two Chipotle restaurants in California, one in San Diego and one in Encinitas. Antoninetti is a paraplegic who uses a wheelchair for mobility. He visited the San Diego restaurant six times, four times as a customer and twice to gather evidence for this litigation. He visited the Encinitas restaurant twice, once as a customer and once in connection with discovery proceedings in this case.

The physical arrangements of the two restaurants were, insofar as the issues in this case are involved, substantially the same. Customers walk along a line that is next to a long counter containing the different foods that are available and on which the customers’ individual orders are prepared. The customers’ walking line is separated from this “food preparation counter” by a separator wall. This wall *975 rises 45 inches above the floor; the food preparation counter is 34-35 inches high.

As customers proceed through the line, they see the different foods available by looking over the wall, and they tell the food service employees behind the food preparation counter what they want. There are many kinds of foods available — such as salsa, guacamole, cheese, and lettuce — and each ingredient is described on written menus in the restaurant as well as on large menu boards above the food preparation counter. The employees then assemble the customer’s order — customizing the burrito, taco, or other Mexican food selected^ — while the customer watches.

At the end of the food preparation counter is a 4 foot-long counter containing the cash register and a 2-3 foot-long empty space. This counter, called the “transaction station,” is 34 inches high, and is where the customer pays for and receives the order. The wall ends where this counter begins. Beyond the transaction station is a dining room with fixed seating, which customers may use after receiving their order.

The serving area of the restaurant is shown in the first photograph below. The second photograph shows the displayed food, as seen from above.

[[Image here]]

The parties stipulated that the average eye level of persons in wheelchairs is 43 to 51 inches above the restaurant floor; and that, at a distance of 12 inches from the wall, a pei'son at any height within that average range cannot see the food preparation counter or the food on display there.

According to Chipotle, it “strives to offer a unique experience consisting of the architecture, décor, and music of its restaurants, the aroma of the food, the appearance of a customer’s entree, friendly staff, a tradition of excellent customer service, [the] ability to customize one’s entrée, and ... the taste of the food.” It describes this as the “Chipotle experience.”

Prior to this litigation, Chipotle had an unwritten policy of accommodating customers in wheelchairs who wanted to see the available food ingredients or watch the *976 preparation of their food. When customers in wheelchairs so indicated, employees were required to show them samples of the available foods in serving spoons, held in tongs or in plastic portion cups, or to assemble the food either at the “transaction station” or at a table in the restaurant’s seating area.

In February 2007, because of this litigation, Chipotle adopted its written “Customers With Disabilities Policy” (the “written policy”). This policy provides that “the restaurant staff will offer ... [a] customer with a disability (for example, a visual or mobility impairment)”

a suitable accommodation based on the individual circumstances, and will be responsive to the customer’s requests. Depending on the circumstances, our crew member or manager may ask the customer if we can accommodate them during their visit. Examples of some of the ways we accommodate individuals include:
1. Samples of the food can be placed in soufflé cups and shown or handed to the customer.
2. Some customers may prefer an opportunity to see or even sample the food at a table.
3. Customers may simply wish to have the food or food preparation process described to them.
4. Or combinations of the above accommodations with any other reasonable accommodation requested or appropriate for the individual.

Antoninetti has not visited either restaurant since this written policy was implemented. The parties have stipulated, however, that Antoninetti still wishes to enjoy the “Chipotle experience” — seeing all the ingredients on display and watching his burrito assembled and rolled — quickly and without inconveniencing employees or other customers.

B. Following his experiences as a customer in the two restaurants, Antoninetti filed the present suit against Chipotle in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. He alleged that Chipotle’s treatment of wheelchair-bound customers violates the Disabilities Act. He sought injunctive relief and damages under a California statute that authorizes damages for violations of the federal Disabilities Act.

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Related

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Antoninetti v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
614 F.3d 971 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)

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Bluebook (online)
614 F.3d 971, 2010 U.S. App. LEXIS 15247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/antoninetti-v-chipotle-mexican-grill-inc-ca9-2010.