National Ass'n of the Deaf v. Netflix, Inc.

869 F. Supp. 2d 196, 26 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 1091, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84518, 2012 WL 2343666
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedJune 19, 2012
DocketC.A. No. 11-CV-30168-MAP
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 869 F. Supp. 2d 196 (National Ass'n of the Deaf v. Netflix, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Ass'n of the Deaf v. Netflix, Inc., 869 F. Supp. 2d 196, 26 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 1091, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84518, 2012 WL 2343666 (D. Mass. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER REGARDING MOTION FOR JUDGMENT ON THE PLEADINGS (Dkt. No. 43)

PONSOR, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiffs, the National Association of the Deaf (“NAD”), the Western Massachusetts Association of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired (“WMAD/HI”), and Lee Nettles, bring this action under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) against Defendant, Netñix, Inc. (“Netflix”), for failure to provide equal access to its video streaming web site, “Watch Instantly,” for deaf and hearing impaired individuals. Plaintiffs seek injunctive and declaratory relief requiring Defendant to provide closed captioning for all of its Watch Instantly content.

Defendant has filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings, arguing that Plaintiffs have failed to allege sufficient facts for a claim under the ADA, that Plaintiffs’ interpretation of the ADA is precluded by the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (“CVAA”), Pub.L. No. 111-260, 124 Stat. 2751 (codified at 47 U.S.C. § 613), and that Plaintiffs’ claim is moot. (Dkt. No. 43.) Plaintiffs oppose Defendant’s motion (Dkt. [199]*199No. 46), and the Department of Justice has filed a statement of interest in opposition to Defendant’s motion as well (Dkt. No. 45). For the reasons set forth below, this motion will be denied.

II. BACKGROUND

Defendant is the leading provider of streaming television and movies on the Internet through its on-demand service web site, called “Watch Instantly.” Watch Instantly allows subscribers to stream available videos through the Internet on a computer, television, or other device.

Plaintiffs NAD and WMAD/HI are nonprofit organizations that advocate on behalf of deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Plaintiff Lee Nettles is a deaf individual and a member of both WMAD/HI and NAD. Plaintiffs allege that Defendant provides closed captioning, which allows deaf and hard of hearing individuals to view television shows and movies by reading captioned text that they can activate on the display, for only a small portion of the titles available on Watch Instantly. Plaintiffs further allege that other Netflix services are also not accessible to deaf and hard of hearing individuals. For example, captioned films are not categorized in the same manner as other films, making it impossible for deaf and hard of hearing-individuals to use Netflix’s personalized film recommendations.

On the basis of these allegations, Plaintiffs have brought a claim under Title III of the ADA, arguing that Defendant’s failure to caption all of its streaming library violates the ADA’s prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability. 42 U.S.C. § 12182(a).

In response to the complaint, Defendant filed a motion to dismiss on September 12, 2011, arguing that, by enacting the CVAA, Congress gave the FCC primary jurisdiction to decide the extent to which Internet streaming video providers must offer closed captioning. (Dkt. No. 22.) Congress enacted the CVAA in October 2010 “to.help ensure that persons with disabilities are able to utilize communications services and equipment and to better access video programming.” S.Rep. No. 111-386, at 1 (2010). Along with other technological advancements, the CVAA addressed the closed captioning of streaming video programming on the Internet. The Act mandated that the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) issue regulations requiring “the provision of closed captioning on video programming delivered using Internet protocol that was published or exhibited on television with captions after the effective date of such regulations.” 47 U.S.C. § 613(c)(2)(A).

At the time of the hearing on Defendant’s motion to dismiss, the FCC had not yet promulgated regulations implementing the CVAA. The court denied Defendant’s motion on November 10, 2011, 2011 WL 5519883, but granted a stay pending the completion of rule-making proceedings by the FCC. (Dkt. No. 32.)

The FCC issued its final regulations on January 13, 2012. See 47 C.F.R. § 79.4. Among other things, the regulations defined captioning responsibilities for distributors of internet video programming, set deadlines and grace periods for compliance,, prohibited private rights of action, and established an administrative complaint procedure. The regulations went into effect on April 30, 2012. Defendant has now filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings.

III. DISCUSSION

Defendant argues that judgment on the pleadings is required because: (1) Plaintiffs have failed to allege the existence of a “place of public accommodation,” as re[200]*200quired for a claim under the ADA; (2) Plaintiffs have failed to allege that Defendant has control over the captioning that Plaintiffs seek, as also required for a claim under the ADA; (3) Plaintiffs’ interpretation of the ADA is precluded by the CVAA; and (4) Plaintiffs’ claim is moot. For the reasons set forth below, none of Defendant’s arguments is persuasive.

A. Place of Public Accommodation.

To state a claim under the ADA, a plaintiff must show that the alleged discrimination involves the services of a “place of public accommodation.” 42 U.S.C. § 12182(a). Plaintiffs in this case allege that Defendant’s Watch Instantly web site is a place of public accommodation. (Dkt. No. 19, Am. Compl. ¶ 6.) Defendant disputes that a web site in general, and Watch Instantly in particular, can be a place of public accommodation under the ADA.

The ADA lists twelve categories of entities that qualify as places of public accommodation. 42 U.S.C. § 12181(7). Plaintiffs argue that the Watch Instantly web site falls within the scope of four of these categories: “place of exhibition and entertainment,” “place of recreation,” “sales or rental establishment,” and “service establishment.” Id. According to Plaintiffs, Defendant is a business that provides a subscription service of internet-based streaming video through the Watch Instantly web site and, as such, is analogous to a brick-and-mortar store or other venue that provides similar services, such as a video rental store.

Plaintiffs’ interpretation of the statute as applying to web-based businesses is supported by the First Circuit’s decision in Carparts Distrib. Ctr. v. Auto. Wholesaler’s Assoc., which held that “places of public accommodation” are not limited to “actual physical structures.” 37 F.3d 12, 19 (1st Cir.1994). The First Circuit explained that

[i]t would be irrational to conclude that persons who enter an office to purchase services are protected by the ADA, but persons who purchase the same services over the telephone or by mail are not.

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Bluebook (online)
869 F. Supp. 2d 196, 26 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 1091, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84518, 2012 WL 2343666, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-assn-of-the-deaf-v-netflix-inc-mad-2012.