Settlement Rejected in Disability Access Suit

Faced with objections from disabled advocacy groups and government officials, a federal judge rejected a proposed settlement to guarantee wheelchair access to 385 May Department Stores Co. stores.

U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno discarded a nationwide class certification, shrank the case to cover six of May’s Lord & Taylor stores in South Florida and set trial for Jan. 14.

Stephen Cody, an attorney for the disabled plaintiffs, said the decision was “not entirely unexpected” but complained about the anti-settlement sentiment expressed by disabled advocacy groups elsewhere.

Cody said he wasn’t sure if May was still willing to settle on a small scale. A May spokeswoman said the company had not received a copy of the judge’s order and had no immediate comment.

Both May and Access Now Inc., which filed the Miami lawsuit, pushed for the settlement at a hearing Tuesday even after Moreno cited the opposition to it.